Never Too Late
by Snape's Only 1
Summary: After suffering years of differing hardships, three college-aged girls are sent to Hogwarts four years before Voldemort's return. What does this all mean to Severus Snape the one who would always love Lily Evans, always?
1. Chapter 1: Nine Years Young

Never Too Late

A/N: If you are a big Severus Snape fan or if you didn't really like some parts of the ending of Deathly Hallows, this fic is for you. This story is mostly cannon, because I have a high respect for the world, characters, and plot that J. K. Rowling has created. There are a few very small changes throughout this fic. Towards the end, the few changes grow bigger, but the characters will remain the same. At the end, there are a few OOC moments for Snape, but this is a romance so what do you expect? And this isn't a typical romance either. It will seem like one at the beginning, but I've added a few twists just to make it interesting. This story also contains no slash. I do not have any problems with homosexuals; I just can't picture any of the Harry Potter characters as being homosexual (except maybe Lockhart, but he plays only a very small part in this story, and I am keeping Dumbledore's sexual orientation the way JKR defined it).

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! I want reviews so badly that I will even accept flames. It will only take about thirty seconds to a minute of your time. If you've already taken the time to read my fic, then you might as well take just a tiny bit more to write me a review.

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you have already read about.

Chapter 1

Nine Years Young

She slowly started to unpack her suitcase, feeling completely miserable and apprehensive. Finally, the moment she had waited for was here; she was officially enrolled at Northern Arizona University, and only a year and a half away from obtaining her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. Yet she missed her home terribly. She longed to hug her grandparents, spend time discussing the Bible with her cousin, and watch sappy movies with her aunt, but this was now nearly impossible.

As she began pulling out shirts and hanging them up in the closet, she realized she was almost entirely alone. None of her community college friends were attending NAU, and all of her family members lived in different cities. Feeling utterly depressed and scared, she snatched up a black photo album. She opened it feverishly, and began perusing it, looking at each of the faces—some familiar, some unknown. A hot tear rolled slowly down her cheek, and she hastily brushed it away. Disgusted with herself, she thought of what her mother would have told her, "Just be strong. Say a prayer, and everything will be ok." Swallowing hard, she thrust the book onto a shelf and resumed the tedious task of unpacking.

Next she pulled out a slightly battered box containing an audio book, _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_.

"Well, I might as well listen to something," she said softly. She walked determinedly to the CD-player, and inserted disc 1. But before she could press play, a loud whistle reached her ears, and she was sucked into a whirl of color and sound.

In a couple of seconds, she found herself on a comfortable, yet very warn, seat. Looking around, she realized she was on a train. Before she had a chance to try and find another person to ask where exactly she was, the train skidded to a halt. Through the glass door of her compartment, she saw other people getting off of the train. She decided to go with them to find out where she was and possibly how she got there.

Exiting the train, she heard a familiar voice calling, "First years. First years over 'ere."

"There's no way," she muttered, "It's just a coincidence." Yet she never had believed in coincidences.

Then she saw him, an eight-foot-tall man with wild hair and a tangled beard. Spotting her, he said, "Well, 'ello. Do ya need any 'elp?" He quickly extended his arm.

"Oh, no thanks," she replied, being perfectly used to this question, "I can just follow you."

In a dream-like state she followed the giant to a boat.

"Yur a first year, aren't ya?" he asked.

"I don't really know. Probably not, I mean, I'm twenty years old."

"Twenty?" he asked suspiciously. "Yeah, sure ya are. C'mon, you can go in a boat with me."

"Thank you," she said.

Suddenly, a girl with dirty-blonde hair put up in a puffy ponytail ran over to the giant.

"Excuse me," she said to him, "Uh, I'm not really sure how I got here. But I do know where I…"

She broke off immediately, staring at the girl beside the giant.

"Katie?" she said, astonished.

"Amber?"

The two girls ran to each other and hugged.

"I thought you were at NAU now. What are you doing here?" Amber asked.

"I'm supposed to be at NAU. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing here."

"Ur, I don' mean ter interrupt," said the giant, "But we better get up ter the-"

"Wait! Don't leave yet!"

Another girl rushed up to them, her long, brown hair flying behind her.

"What ther," murmured the giant.

"Brittany, is that you?" Amber asked.

"Amber? Katie?" Brittany asked in return. The two girls nodded.

"Oh my God! I never thought I'd see you guys again! But Katie, I thought you were at NAU? And Amber, aren't you in college too?"

"Ok, that's enough now. We really need to get up ter the castle," interjected the giant.

"Oh my God! It's Hagrid! This is so awesome! Wait, but is this real, or am I just having an awesome dream? I can't believe it's-"

"Brittany we really should go to the castle so we can find out what we're doing here," said Katie. The three girls and Hagrid got into a large boat that swiftly began to make its way toward the castle.

"Wait a second," said Amber, "Why do you two look younger?"

"How much younger do we look?" Katie asked.

"Well, Katie, you have bangs, your hair is only shoulder-length, you look shorter, and you're a little, um, bigger in some areas and smaller in others. And Brittany, your teeth are kind of uneven, and your hair is brown."

"Well, when I looked like that, I was either ten or eleven years old," said Katie.

"Yeah, me too," said Brittany, "And Amber, you look like you're about ten or eleven too."

"Wait a second," said Amber, "I have a mirror in my bag." She quickly pulled it out, and looked into it frantically.

"Oh my gosh," she said and handed the mirror to Brittany.

"Wow, this is kinda unexpected," Brittany said, handing the mirror to Katie.

Katie slowly looked into the mirror. A round, pale face, uneven, gapped teeth, and slightly too long bangs stared back at her.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm definitely not twenty anymore."

"We're 'ere," said Hagrid happily, not quite sure of what he had just witnessed, "Time to get sorted into yer 'ouses."

They hurriedly got out of the boat, and made their way to the front doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As the tall, double doors creaked open, a wonderful and long dreamt of sight met Katie's impaired gaze: the entrance hall, full of scared-looking first years and hovering shimmers that could only be ghosts. A tall, elderly woman suddenly emerged from behind a door. She beckoned the students into the Great Hall and told them the rules for sorting.

"Katie," whispered Brittany, "We're in the same year as Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

Sure enough, a small, black-haired boy stood next to a tall, thin, red-headed boy, and a girl with bushy, brown hair stood in front of them.

Suddenly Katie felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Hagrid. "Er, Ms.," he whispered awkwardly, "You and yer friends need ter come with me. Professor Dumbledore wants to see ya. He wants ter find out what's goin' on."

Katie, Amber, and Brittany followed the giant up to the staff table. They waited as Dumbledore slowly inched his way toward them, walking sideways behind the other teachers. Katie stole a quick glance up at the staff table. Professor Flitwick was sitting cheerfully, watching the sorting. Professor Sprout was looking at the Hufflepuff table, no doubt hoping that more Hufflepuffs would soon come. Katie then spotted Professor Quirell. Her eyes did not linger on him; she had no desire to look at someone who was in league with Voldemort. Moving her eyes quickly to Quirell's other side, to the person that was nearest to her, her gaze fell upon Professor Snape. With a quick thrill of surprise she realized he was looking at her. She quickly turned her head in the other direction, and wondered how much she would see of him; Snape had always been her favorite character.

Hagrid's hand was on her shoulder again. She walked with him and her friends into the entrance hall. Dumbledore was waiting for them. Hagrid quickly walked back into the Great Hall.

"Hello, my name is Professor Dumbledore. Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Could you please tell me who each of you are and how each of you came to be at this school?"

"Well, I'm Brittany Douglas, and I'm, or at least I was, nineteen years old. I just got signed on as a new artist for Atlantic Records. I was in the middle of recording a song for my debut album, and I just…found myself on the train."

"That is quite interesting," Dumbledore mused, "And you?"

"I'm Amber Daniels. I was eighteen years old. I was getting ready to go outside on the field—I'm in my college's marching band—and the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the train."

"I see," Dumbledore murmured, "And your name is?"

"Katie Insche. I was twenty years old. Today was my first day as a full-time student at Northern Arizona University. I was unpacking my suitcase in my dorm room, and then I found myself on the Hogwarts Express."

"And you three know each other?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," they answered in unison. "We went to high school together," added Brittany.

"Well, I'm very happy to welcome you to Hogwarts. As this has never happened before, I see no problem with allowing you to attend," said Dumbledore very quickly.

"So you're going to let us join, just like that, without testing us for magical abilities first?" Katie asked suspiciously.

"I see no need to test you. If you were muggles—people with no magical abilities—you would never have been able to enter this castle. Now, why don't we all go into the Great Hall so you can get sorted into your houses," said Dumbledore, but Katie couldn't help feeling that Dumbledore had other reasons for letting them attend Hogwarts.

As they walked toward the Great Hall, Dumbledore added, "Katie, after the Start of Term Feast, please come up to the staff table so we can discuss the accommodations you will need in lessons due to your visual impairment."

"Ok, thank you," Katie replied, knowing that Dumbledore's excellent skills of perception would enable him to easily notice that she was partially blind.

"Professor McGonigall," Dumbledore called as McGonigall began to carry the three-legged stool out of the Hall, "There are three more students to be sorted."

McGonigall quickly brought the stool back. Dumbledore handed her a small piece of parchment.

"Amber Daniels," she called. Amber walked confidently to the stool, and sat down. McGonigall placed the hat on Amber's head. After about fifteen seconds, the hat shouted, "Gryffindor!"

"Brittany Douglas." Brittany strode forward and the hat was placed on her head.

"Gryffindor!" it shouted.

"Katie Insche." Katie walked carefully to the stool. It was difficult; she was in an unknown area and had no cane. McGonigall put the hat on her head. Katie sat nervously on the stool. Ambition, bravery, loyalty, a thirst for knowledge, she had all of these qualities. Where would the hat put her? Hopefully in Gryffindor, but it was hard to tell.

"Awe, I see that you would like me to put you in Gryffindor," said a voice in Katie's ear. "Well, today is your lucky day. Gryffindor," the hat yelled to the hall at large. Sighing with relief, Katie made her way to the Gryffindor table, and sat down by her friends. _"That was almost too easy,"_ she thought.

When the feast was over, Katie walked up to the staff table. Dumbledore was waiting for her.

"Well, Ms. Insche, could you please tell me what kinds of accommodations you will need for your lessons?"

"Yes," said Katie, "I am not able to read small print or most handwriting. In the muggle world, I use a device called a computer. I can type in sentences on a key pad, and they appear on a screen. From that point, I can change the size, style, and color of the print if I want to. I can than print it out on a piece of paper."

"Yes," said Dumbledore, "I have read a bit about computers in muggle newspapers. Luckily, Professor Flitwick knows how to use them. I'm sure he would be willing to show the other teachers how. Are there any other accommodations?"

"Yes. I normally use a cane and other devices to get around in unfamiliar places. However, my cane is back in the muggle world."

"Oh, that is not a problem. I think you will find them waiting for you in your dormitory. Awe, that presents a problem. The house dormitories are only made big enough to house the incoming students. No one knew you and your friends would be arriving, so I'm afraid you cannot sleep in the dormitories. I can construct something like a small house within the castle for you and your friends to live in. Do you think that would work?" asked Dumbledore.

"Definitely," said Katie.

"Are there any more accommodations you will be needing?"

"Yes," Katie answered, "I normally get my school books in large print, but muggle devices are used to do this, so I'm not sure…"

"That is easily achieved," said Dumbledore happily, "A simple engorgement charm will fix it. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Not that I can think of right now," Katie answered, "But I did want to ask you, are students required to wear the Hogwarts robes every day?"

"No, most of them just choose to."

"Ok. Thank you for all of your help."

"Don't mention it," said Dumbledore kindly, "And now, I think it's time for you and your friends to get some sleep. I will show you to your…well, I'm not exactly sure what to call it…"

"Apartment," Katie suggested.

"Yes," said Dumbledore happily, "I believe that name is very fitting."

Dumbledore and the girls walked to the second floor. They paused at a blank stretch of wall, and Dumbledore created the apartment instantly. The girls told him goodnight, and went inside.

"Wow," said Katie. The apartment was huge. They had walked into a living room, complete with a couch, a television, and a chess table. Through the door straight ahead of them was a large dining room/kitchen, containing a stove, an oven, a sink, a dishwasher, a microwave, a refrigerator, a toaster, a blender, a table for six, and tons of counter space.

"Apparently JKR got the part about electronics not working at Hogwarts wrong," said Brittany.

They then entered a room filled with musical instruments and a sophisticated-looking computer system. They soon found three bedrooms, each containing a trunk full of each girls' possessions, including clothes that they would normally wear, wands, school books, cauldrons, potion ingredients, Katie's low vision devices, a huge selection of CDs with players, and a set of all seven of the Harry Potter books. Each room came with an adjoining bathroom, complete with bathtub and shower.

"This is great," said Amber, smiling.

"It sure is," said Katie.

The three girls soon went into their bedrooms. Katie began unpacking her trunk, but this time she had nothing to be sad about. "No matter what happens here," she told herself softly, "At least I have people I know that I can talk to."


	2. Chapter 2: First Encounters

Chapter 2

First Encounter & Reluctant Revelation

The next morning, the girl's alarms went off at 6:00 am. Amber rose refreshed and cheerful; Katie woke up groggy and sluggish; Brittany pushed the snooze button until 7:15. After everyone was finally ready, the girls walked to the Great Hall for breakfast. When they sat down at the Gryffindor table, Professor McGonigall brought them their schedules.

First Year Gryffindor Schedule

Breakfast: 8:00-8:45 am

Transfiguration:9:00-9:45 am

Charms: 10:00-10:45 am

Herbology: 11:00-11:45 am

Lunch:12:00-12:45 pm

Defense against the Dark Arts:1:00-1:45 pm

Potions:2:00-2:45 pm

Dinner: 5:00-7:00 pm

Please note, meal attendance is optional.

"But what about History of Magic and Astronomy," asked Katie.

"Those are elective courses," McGonigall replied, "You can't take those until third year."

"That's great," said Brittany, "Less for us to do."

"Yeah, and after four high school math classes and a college statistics course, I think that's what we deserve," said Katie.

After they finished eating, the girls made their way to Transfiguration. They soon began working on their first lesson—turning matches into needles. Katie found the task extremely easy; she soon produced six satisfactory needles. Brittany also seemed to find no difficulty in the task; each of her four needles had a differently-shaped eye, and they were all different colors. Amber, however, appeared to have quite a lot of trouble with the assignment.

"This is rediculous," she whispered to Katie, "When am I ever going to need to turn a match into a needle?"

Katie understood. Amber had always been an excellent student, making "A"s in everything except Geometry in which she got a "B".

"You'll get it eventually," said Katie encouragingly, though without really knowing how great of a witch Amber would prove to be.

The class then made its way to Charms, where Professor Flitwick was as cheery as ever. They then went to Herbology.

"Ms. Insche," said Professor Sprout, "Why are you wearing sunglasses?"

"I have a lot of trouble seeing outside. I'm almost totally blind in the sunlight, and since we're in a greenhouse…"

"Oh, alright. You may wear them during classes," Sprout said.

During lunch, Katie and Brittany chatted animatedly about the lessons so far. Amber simply sat there, appearing to listen but actually sulking. She had not done well in Charms or Herbology either.

After lunch, the Gryffindors went to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Quirrel bored them all stiff with "tales of his traveling." They didn't even get a chance to start learning anything.

"Ooh, now we get to go to Potions," said Brittany, "I wonder if JKR was right about how the first lesson went."

Sure enough, the setting was just as JKR described—the dark, cold dungeon. However, there was an encounter at the beginning of the class that JKR missed.

"Um, excuse me, hun, but my best friends and I always sit together at the front of every class, so you can move now," Pansy Parkinson said to Katie in a snotty tone.

"Well," Katie replied cooly, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, _hun_, but. First of all, your request is extremely childish; just because you want something, that does not mean you're going to get it. Second, I am not your servant; you have no right to give me orders and even less right to expect me to follow them. Third, I am already sitting here; it makes much more sense for you to find another seat than it does for me to leave this one. Finally, I kind of need to sit in the front of the class due to my vision problem. And by the way, if you had just nicely asked me to move I probably would have."

The whole class was silent except for Pansy who made a disgusted noise, and ran to another seat. Everyone else was staring at the dungeon door. Katie looked too, and to her horror she saw Professor Snape standing in the doorway, an angry yet surprised look on his thin face.

"Five points from Gryffindor," he said, "Ms. Insche, you will refrain from acting so high and mighty in my class."

"Yes, sir," said Katie meekly, yet she felt annoyed. Snape then handed her a piece of parchment; it was a large-print copy of the recipe for the day's potion.

The rest of the Potions class went as the girls had predicted. Snape took attendance, asked Harry the three difficult questions, snapped at Hermione, and took more points from Gryffindor. They then began to make the potion, and Neville's ended up exploding. When this happened, Katie, Amber, and Brittany immediately jumped onto their desks. The rest of the class took a bit longer to do this.

"Why did you three jump up so fast?" asked Dean, "Did you know that was going to happen?"

None of them answered. They weren't quite sure whether or not to tell people about the books; it could lead to many questions that the three of them believed should not yet be answered.

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When the three girls got back to their apartment, they decided to discuss the problem of the books.

"I think we could tell everyone," said Amber, "I mean, they're going to find out eventually anyway."

"We shouldn't tell anyone," said Brittany, "If they find out, they're going to want to read them, and if they read them they'd find out about Sirius escaping, Voldemort coming back, Sirius dying, Snape killing Dumbledore. Who knows what they would do."

"I think we should tell Dumbledore," suggested Katie, "We don't have to tell him what the books are about. We can just tell him that they exist, and that, as far as we know, they tell about everything that is going to happen over the next seven years. After we tell him, he can decide whether or not to read them. Either way, I trust Dumbledore's judgment."

The others agreed, so during dinner, they went up to the staff table.

"Professor Dumbledore," said Brittany, "Can we talk to you after dinner?"

"Yes, of course," he answered, "Is anything wrong?"

"No no no," said Brittany quickly, "We just want to ask you something."

"Alright then. Meet me in the entrance hall, by the front doors."

"Thank you," said Katie, and the girls went to the Gryffindor table to eat dinner. When they were finished, they went into the entrance hall. They found Dumbledore by the front doors.

"What did you want to speak to me about?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well," began Katie, "In the muggle world, there is a set of seven books. Each of these books is about Hogwarts, but each is in Harry Potter's point of view. As far as we know, these books tell about everything that will happen over the next seven years. In the first book, Harry's first Potions lesson is described in vivid detail, and everything described happened today. However, some things are different. In the books, students have to wear the Hogwarts robes every day, electrical devices cannot be used in or around the school, and students must take History of Magic and Astronomy from first to fifth year. I'm not entirely sure how true the books are, but they tell about loads of things. The strange thing is, I found my copies of these books last night when I was unpacking my trunk"

"Hmm," said Dumbledore, "Well, I don't think you should tell anybody else about these books, and I don't think I should read them. Are the books possibly divided by year? I mean to say, does the first book end at the end of Harry Potter's first year?"

"Yes," said Amber.

"Well then," Dumbledore mused, "I would like to read them at the end of each year. When your first year ends, I would like to read the first book. It sounds to me as though these books are correct in predicting major events, but are a bit faulty when it comes to minor detail."

"That's not exactly true," said Katie, "Everything described in the first book, down to the exact quotations, was entirely the same in today's Potions class."

"I believe there are other reasons for that," said Dumbledore very quickly, "But about my reading the books. I believe strongly that everything happens for a reason; therefore, I also believe in not tampering with fate. I think if I were to read these books now, I would be strongly tempted to change the horrible events into events that would make everyone happy. I must not do this. Please, do not tell anyone else about these books, and let me read the first one when your first year ends."

"Ok," said Katie.

"Thank you for your concern," said Dumbledore, "Put it from your mind for now, and enjoy the rest of your year."

The girls told him goodnight, and went up to their apartment.

"I told you that's what he would say," Brittany said to Amber. The two of them began to bicker, first about Dumbledore's reaction, than about the truth behind the books, then about politics. But Katie wasn't listening; she was thinking about that day's Potions lesson. That angry yet surprised look in Snape's eyes still appeared clearly in her mind.

"What are you grinning about?" asked Amber heatedly.

"Oh, nothing," said Katie in a slightly dreamy voice, "I think I'm going to bed." But Brittany and Amber heard music playing in her bedroom, and Katie didn't fall asleep until about two hours later.


	3. Chapter 3: The Lessons

Chapter 3

The Lessons

His footsteps echoed loudly as he walked swiftly down the corridor. He was slightly confused; why did the Headmaster want to see him this late, and why did his note sound so urgent? He dully muttered the password (Ice Mice) to enter Dumbledore's office. The gargoyle sprang to one side, allowing him to hurriedly climb the spiral staircase. He knocked twice.

"Come in, Severus," Dumbledore called. Snape pushed the door open and entered.

"Please, sit down," Dumbledore asked kindly. Snape sat, his curiosity growing slightly. "The arrival of Ms. Daniels, Ms. Douglas, and Ms. Insche was a bit unexpected. I have given the matter a great deal of thought, and I have come to a conclusion. I would like you to begin teaching them Occlumency as soon as possible; each girl will have her own lesson once a week. I realize this is most likely inconvenient for you and I am sorry for that, but I believe these lessons will play a crucial role in the future of one of these girls. Unfortunately, I do not know which girl will benefit from these lessons; that would make things much easier. But as I cannot simply pick one of them at random, I am asking you to please teach all three of them."

"I will, Headmaster," Snape said, "But how will these lessons prove beneficial? I mean to say, if you do not know much about these girls' lives and personalities, how can you be sure of the effects Occlumency lessons might have on them?"

"It is enough that I know," Dumbledore replied, "You will most likely know the reason one day, but for now, I am simply asking you to trust me."

"I do trust you, Headmaster," Snape said softly, "I will teach them."

"Thank you, Severus. That is all." Snape walked back to his dungeon wondering what Dumbledore expected from these lessons.

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The next morning, the girls woke up ready for their second day of school. Katie and Brittany continued to stand out in all of their classes, and Amber's performance slowly began to improve. The three also met some of the Gryffindors including Harry and Ron. The five of them ate lunch together, and had an excellent time discussing lessons, comparing cultures (British and American), and joking around about Percy.

At the end of that day's Potions class, Professor Snape called the girls up to his desk.

"The Headmaster would like me to begin teaching each of you Occlumency—the defense of the mind against external penetration. Each of you will be given a different day for your particular lesson. Ms. Daniels, your lessons will take place on Monday evenings at 6:00. Ms. Douglas, your lessons will occur at the same time on Wednesdays. Ms. Insche, your lessons will also be at 6:00 on Fridays. As today is Tuesday, Ms. Douglas, you will have your first lesson tomorrow night, Ms. Insche, you will begin your lessons this Friday, and Ms. Daniels, you will commence your lessons next Monday. You are all to report to my office. Do you understand?"

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"Good. 6:00, tomorrow night then, Ms. Douglas." The three girls left the classroom. When they were back in their apartment, they began discussing their new lessons.

"This is so cool! I can't believe I'm gonna learn Occlumency! Oh my God, I love this!" said Brittany happily.

"Why does Dumbledore want us to learn it though?" asked Amber.

"I have no idea, but I can't wait for Friday," said Katie.

"Ya know, we're probably the only students who would actually be looking forward to these classes with Snape," said Brittany.

"Yeah," said Katie, laughing slightly, "We probably are."

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The next night, Brittany returned to the apartment at 8:15, looking tired and a bit drained.

"How was it?" asked Katie anxiously.

"It was pretty good. He saw a lot of memories I forgot that I had. There were a couple that I wish he wouldn't have seen though. Katie, he saw my embarrassing moment on our Hawaii vacation. I thought I was going to die! He also saw part of one of our voice lessons. We were making the stupid fire engine noise. Don't worry, I explained what we were doing. He almost saw a date I went on with Robbie, but that thing that happened with Harry happened with me; I "let him get in too far"."

"Wow," said Katie, "I wonder what he'll see on Friday."


	4. Chapter 4: The First Attempt

Chapter 4

The First Attempt

Katie walked eagerly down the steps leading to the dungeons, her auburn hair swinging behind her. She was excited yet nervous; what exactly would Snape see?

"Enter," Snape called after Katie knocked on his office door. She slowly pushed the door opened. Snape was sitting at his desk, and stirring his wand around quickly in the Pensive.

"So," he said slowly, "The Headmaster has informed me that you already know what Occlumency is and a bit about how it is performed."

"Yes sir," said Katie, hoping Snape wouldn't ask her how she knew.

"Well then, we need not discuss that," said Snape smoothly, "We shall proceed with the actual practice. I want you to empty your mind; rid yourself of all emotion."

Katie tried to do this, but her anxious, over analytical mind had never allowed her to feel emotionless.

"On the count of three, I will attempt to break into your mind. It is your job to fight me. Do not let me watch scenes from your past; do not make me aware of your fears and weaknesses; do not give me easy access to powerful weapons. One, two, three, legilimens."

Katie was not expecting him to start so quickly. Caught up in what Snape was telling her, she had momentarily stopped trying to empty her mind.

A three year old girl lied in her bed listening to her father telling her that as long as she quietly rested for an hour she wouldn't have to take a nap.

A happy five year old sat in a circle with a few other clearly handicapped children and listened to her teacher begin to tell a short story.

An infuriated nine year old tried to verbally stand up to the class bully, but she had never been taught how to do it.

A depressed fourteen year old stood in a dark kitchen staring at a pizza cutter and a long, sharp knife.

CRASH!

Snape's office immediately came back into focus. Katie found herself lying flat on her back on the cold, wooden floor. Snape was standing where Katie had last seen him, but his wand was spinning around in circles three feet above his head. He quickly summoned it, a very impatient look jumping into his eyes.

"You know what happened do you not?"

"I-I let you get in too far," Katie answered grudgingly.

"Well then," said Snape coldly, "Since you know what happened, I expect you to prevent it from happening in the future. Now, tell me, what was that last memory?"

"Nothing," answered Katie in a hard, flat tone, "It was nothing."

As Snape had had numerous hardships in his life, he knew that this memory had very strong emotions attached to it, yet he could also sense that Katie had a very strong will. He knew that it would take a lot more than a simple question to drag those secrets out of her.

"I will let you keep the meaning and story behind this memory to yourself, but, in the future, I will require you to answer my questions. In order for me to teach you how to block emotions, I need to know what emotions accompany which memories. The goal here, Ms. Insche, is to rid yourself of all emotion, not to keep all emotion to yourself," Snape said firmly.

Katie nodded, understanding the subtle yet important difference.

"I think we will end the lesson here for tonight, but I expect some improvement next week. I want you to empty your mind each night before you go to sleep. And remember, I will know if this is being done."

"Yes, sir," said Katie, hoping she would be able to do something she had never figured out how to accomplish.

When Katie got back to the apartment, she found Brittany and Amber waiting anxiously to find out how the lesson went.

"It was fine. Nothing too exciting happened," said Katie, choosing to leave the emotional memory buried for now.

"Well, what memories did he see?" asked Brittany.

"Nothing much," Katie answered as casually as she could, "Just a couple of scenes from when I was really little. I think I'm going to go to bed. It's been a long week."

Katie walked to her room and closed the door. Right now sleep was the farthest thing from her mind.


	5. Chapter 5: Using Love

Chapter 5

Using Love

The next few weeks proceded as normally as things possibly could in a school for young withches and wizards. Katie and Brittany shined in classes along with Hermione, and Amber still had a great deal of difficulty with her lessons. She, however, proved to be by far the best at Occlumency. After many nights of practicing the task of clearing her mind before sleep, Brittany finally started to make a bit of progress. Four weeks into the lessons though, Katie was no nearer being able to clear her mind than she was to having perfect vision. All she had succeeded in doing was showing Severus Snape some unimportant and even slightly embarrassing memories. Luckily for Katie, no memories that were particularly emotional were seen by the Potions Master. On this night, however, she was feeling a bit vulnerable. She could not fathum the reason for this, but she dimly recalled feeling depressed quite frequently for no reason when she had been this age in the muggle world. Because of this feeling growing more and more each minute, Katie had no desire to go to that night's Occlumency lesson.

Unwillingly, she knocked lightly on Snape's office door, perhaps thinking that the lighter she knocked, the more likely it would be that she would not be heard by the highly perceptive professor.

"Enter," he called monotonously in usual greeting.

Katie slowly opened the door and shuffled into the dimly-lit office.

"Well," said Snape softly, "We shall start this tedious process again. Frankly, I do not see what the purpose is in teaching you the fine art of Occlumency if you are always going to be this unwilling to practice on your own and this uncooperative when I am trying to teach you such an important skill."

"I have been trying to practice," Katie defended, "Every night, before I go to sleep, I have used every trick I can think of to empty my mind: I've counted slowly, I've concentrated on my breathing, I've focused on a single image, I've tried thinking of only one thing, I've thought of a happy thing, a sad thing, a thing that makes me angry, I've thought of innadimant objects, I've thought of many different people. I don't know what else I can try."

Snape stood silent for a minute. By using Legilimency, he knew she wasn't lying. He could not understand why, if she really had tried all of these different means of emptying her mind, she was making absolutely no progress. There truly was no logical explanation; this insullent girl had to be lying to him.

"I see no evidence that suggests you have been practicing at all. Is it not possible that you could simply be telling me exactly what I want to hear so I will discontinue my criticism?" Snape asked silkily.

Being in a mood of ever increasing depression, Katie had no intentions of letting the bitter man play with her tonight.

"If you don't believe me," Katie replied heatidly, "Use Legilimency. Look into my eyes and see for yourself. I will even try my hardest to keep them still and opened for you."

Snape watched her screw up her face in a physical effort to try to keep her ever-blinking eyes wide opened and still. His gaze moved away from her face, focusing on her right hand clutched in a tight fist around her folded cane. He did not need to look into her dark brown, nearly black eyes to know she was telling the truth. Defensive, almost defiant body language of this nature did not even exist in those who spoke ready-made lies unless they had years of experience—as he did. Yet this girl was only eleven years old; she could not yet have that extensive experience.

"Very well," Snape said coldy, "We shall continue on with the lesson then."

Katie's face and fist relaxed, but a look of dread slowly began to creep into her eyes.

"Now, when you told me of the means you used to try to empty your mind, you named a great deal of emotions: happiness, sadness, anger. Yet you never mentioned love. Love is a very dangerous emotion to use in this excersize, but as we are only practicing, I feel that it could not hurt to try it. Since love can have a plethora of other emotions connected to it, think of someone or something you love that you know you can always put faith in. Being a naïve child, this should be simple for you, because you most likely have not learned of the pangs that come with true love."

"I am no child, sir," Katie commented in a deadly serious voice. Just because she looked much younger than she was, that gave no one the right to use such a condescending sentence and tone with her. After all, he knew next to nothing of the hell she had gone through that started when she was only thirteen.

"If you are not a child," Snape began with a smirk, "Then why would you let such a simple statement bother you to this extent? The adult, and might I add appropriate, thing to do would be to ignore this statement if you truly want people to begin to treat you in a more adult manner."

"_Damn it_," Katie thought grudgingly, "_He makes a decent point_."

She said nothing, loathing the idea of further self-humiliation.

"Now, if there are no further interruptions, we shall begin. Do as I instructed you before; think of a thing you love."

Despite her annoyance with Snape and even more with herself, Katie thought instantly of the thing she loved above all else.

"One, two, three, legilimense."

An excited six-year-old was asking her mother if they could start bringing a Bible to church, because the pastor had said that he liked to hear the rustling of the pages.

A frightened eight-year-old lied with her equally scared friend in a bed at a sleep-over discussing the noise they had just heard and the new noise of an airplain over head possibly being driven by God.

A sad ten-year-old sat in a Sunday school class having just learned about what using the Lord's name in vain meant.

An eager sixteen-year-old sat on a bed across from her twenty-three-year-old male cousin who was giving her sentences to repeat in order to become a born-again-Christian.

A nineteen-year-old sat across from her twenty-three-year-old Central African friend, and listened to the girl talk about how wonderful the Lord was.

Suddenly, she felt Snape pulling back. She knew, yet again that she had failed to empty her mind. But this was different. Snape had always gone in too far; he had never pulled back of his own free will.

Snape had a strange look on his face: a small ounce of disgust mingled with a strange longing—not the usual yet rare longing seen in those black eyes, but a sad, empty longing. Katie did not need to have perfect vision to be able to tell what emotions showed on his face. She could tell in the professor's demeanor. His normally straight and slightly arrogant posture had suddenly been replaced by a slump in the shoulders, a fall of the normally folded arms to dangle limply at his sides, and a slight downward motion of his chin, which caused his face to be nearly obscured by his curtains of greasy hair and the shadows cast by the flickering candle light. He almost seemed to have entered a world all his own. Katie knew he would not simply come out of it, at least not for several minutes.

"Are you alright?" she asked very cautiously, not sure at all how he would react to her sudden concern for his well-being.

Snape's normal posture abruptly returned. "We will try this again," he said as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. Following his lead, Katie did not press the subject of his strangely disturbing if brief condition.

"This time, just try emptying your mind normally. Concentrate on your breathing, or count up slowly if you wish. One, two, three, legilimense."

An immature eleven-year-old nonverbally flaunting her expensive leather jacket walked with her mother and best friend through a grocery store deciding that the two girls should start a new club at school with their other friends. Each would have a nickname with the word "brat" in it after their favorite rap artist—at least for the next month or so.

An enraged twelve-year-old swung back her fist ready to punch a taller boy in the face for insulting her boyfriend. She felt the pain as her knuckles connected with his jaw bone. The boy began to cry silently, and wandered off in another direction so his friends wouldn't see. The girl's mother was so mad that she took her brand new CD away for the rest of the long day.

A momentarily dissociated thirteen-year-old in a long nightgown ran outside onto the back porch of her house clutching a nearly empty bottle of vodka. She angrily threw the bottle down with all of her strength so she could have the satisfaction of watching it shatter into at least a few pieces, but the damn thing wouldn't break. She threw it down repeatidly until her unsteady father brought her verbally back to her senses.

And yet again, Katie was lying on her back in Snape's office as Snape's wand flew in fast circles above his head.

Snape sighed in frustration over the repetition of Katie's failure to empty her mind. He reached up and retrieved his still circling wand.

"So, we meet this problem again," Snape noted, "But this time I have many questions. First of all, what spell are you using to cause my wand to swirl above my head? Wingardium leviosa would not create the circular pattern. Tell me, what is this spell, and where did you learn of it?"

"I don't know," Katie answered honestly, "I just see the exact same memories as you do, and then I find myself on my back. I don't even remember trying to block you from my mind. I've never read of a spell like that, so I don't know where it comes from. It just…is."

"Really," said Snape in a slightly disbelieving tone, "You would have had to have heard of it somewhere to be able to produce it, but yet again, I know you are not lying to me. I shall have to speak to the Headmaster about this matter. Perhaps he can give me some insight as to the nature of this particular spell. My second question is, in many of the memories I have seen tonight, there is an older girl, I mean to say, a girl who looks remarkably like you, but who is older than you are now. At first I thought she was an older sister of yours, but then I realized that your image was not present in any of the memories. Can you explain this unusual phenomenon?"

"The older girl that looks like me is me," Katie replied simply.

"That is impossible," Snape answered in cold confidence, "The only way that could have happened is if you had used a time turner to travel back in time about eight years right before you arrived at this school. As time turners will only go back at most a few weeks, I do not see how this occurance could possibly be accomplished."

"When I came to Hogwarts," Katie began to explain, "I was twenty years old. I had just started attending Northern Arizona University. The day I arrived on the Hogwarts Express was the day I arrived at the University. I was unpacking my suitcases, when I suddenly found myself on the train. I have told Professor Dumbledore, and he gave me no explanation, although, he did not seem as surprised as I expected him to. Amber and Brittany arrived in the same way only from different locations. I have no idea why we all appear to be eleven-years-old, but I think Professor Dumbledore might know, even though he doesn't want to tell us right now."

Snape stood stunned for a minute, trying to take everything in. He had never heard of such a thing happening before, but apparently Dumbledore had. He realized now why she had been so insulted when he had called her a "naïve child." He decided not to comment and simply to move ahead to his final question.

"In the last memory, why were you so insistant about breaking the nearly empty bottle? What emotions are tied to that memory? Unlike the first time I saw a particularly emotional memory of yours and asked you about it, you are required to answer this question truthfully. In our first lesson I explained to you the importance of ridding yourself of all emotion and how, by discussing it, I can help you to do this. Now, answer the question."

Katie knew there was no escaping the truth this time. Luckily, she did not mind discussing this part of her life with anyone. It was only the memories with the blades that she didn't readily discuss with others.

"When I was thirteen," Katie began, "My mother died of a heart attack related to diabetes. The disease literally ate into her body until her heart could no longer fight against it. When she died, my dad couldn't deal with the pain he felt. He loved her more than anything. Because of this, he started drinking. He drank more and more each day until he became an alcoholic. Though he tried different methods of recovery—Alcoholics Annonymous, seeing a counselor, turning to God—he simply was unable to cope with the death of my mother, his love. He died from the alcoholism ten days shy of a year after my mother died. As far as my memory goes… If by chance I found his vodka bottles, I would go into a rage. During these rages, I would do one of two things; I would either get a steak knife out of the kitchen drawer and cut up some of his clothing, or I would grab the bottle and try to break it on the back porch. If the bottle had even just a small amount of vodka in it, I knew that was vodka that he could not consume if the bottle were shattered. I have no other logical explanation for what I did during these rages except that I was out of my own head. It was like I was looking down on myself, realizing that what I was doing was pointless, yet I was completely out of my own control. I have not gone into rages since my father's death. Hopefully, I never will again."

For yet another time tonight, Snape did not know what to say. Naïve child indeed. That was probably one of the most foolish things he could have said to her. She understood much more about the pain love can bring a person than he would have ever dreampt of giving her credit for. Yes, she understood all too well, and so did he. He could certainly empathize with her father's emotions as he had felt the exact same way when he had found out that he had betrayed Lily Evans. Yet now, she did not seem to resnet her father for what he had done, for the obvious hell he had put this young girl thourgh by his selfish actions. Yes, he understood. His father had the same addiction, but Snape nearly forgave him. He knew his mother had been its cause. His mother had forced his muggle father into marriage for her own desires. His father did not hate only her, he also hated him because he was a wizard. His mother could do nothing to stop the abuse, both to her and her son, that occurred in the sad house. His parents had had a wizard's wedding. During the ceremony, his mother had promised to follow any of her husband's wishes; she had to make an Unbreakable Vow to do this. The stupid woman, overcome with lust for the attractive man who at first had found something intriguing about the girl all others had considered ugly, agreed to the vow. The only wish Tobias Snape had ever had was for her to never use magic. Yes, although the circumstances were very different, he understood. But he was unable to apologize; years of bitterness, resentment, and pride had hardened his broken heart to the point that the only one he would ever be able to apologize to was Lily Evans.

"I see," he finally said, but his voice had dropped the icy tone it usually held, "Well, to be rid of the emotions surrounding this memory, you must come to terms with the choices your father made, if you have not already done this. You must then use several techniques to control your anger and resentment. Have you learned any over the course of your life?"

"Yes," Katie replied, wondering why it had taken Snape so long to say something after she had told him her story. "I saw a counselor about some other problems I was having in my life when I was eighteen. He taughtt me how to get rid of anger and resentment. So far, it seems to work, that is, when I actually apply the techniques. That aspect of it, I am still working on mastering."

"Then you had better practice much more than you have been. I am able to see that you still have not fully mastered them. After all, you let one small comment I made tonight affect you personally. Throughout your life, Ms. Insche, many people will make many and much worse comments. How will you react then?"

Katie thought about this for a moment, realizing he was absolutely right. Though he did not know about the reasons why she had seen a counselor at age eighteen, that still didn't give her the right to get mad over a stupid comment. And that's exactly what it was, stupid. Stupid and ignorant. To him, she must have looked like a naïve child. He didn't know how old she truly was and what she had been thorugh. Like most people who go through extremely difficult lives, he probably thought he was the only one who could have possibly gone through this much pain. And she had to admit, his life was definitely painful. It all came down to judgement; he had simply made a poor, uninformed judgement.

"You're right," she finally said, hating to give him the satisfaction she knew the two word declaration would bring, but deciding to take a humble approach to this subject. "I will try harder."

Snape smirked, apparently highly pleased with himself for yet again making such an accurate judgement.

"We will end this lesson here for tonight," Snape said, the smirk twisting his thin, pale lips. "Take what I have said into account; practice emptying your mind in normal, uncreative ways, and practice the techniques to rid yourself of any nager and resentment you feel toward anything. I will know if you have practiced before next week's lesson, so I expect you to do so. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Katie replied.

As she reached for the metallic door handle, she glanced back to see Severus Snape sitting hunched over at his desk, his black, greasy-haired head crandled in his long, sallow hands.


	6. Chapter 6: The Beginning of a Mystery

Chapter 6

The Beginning of a Mystery

"You told him what?"

Amber was positively indignant. She couldn't believe that Katie had revealed one of her most personal stories, secrets even, to a man that she knew intimately through the too short pages of the seven books but hardly at all by their day-to-day interactions.

"I told him about my parents' deaths, my dad's alcoholism, and my rages," Katie restated calmly.

"Wow," said Brittany stunned, "What else did you tell him?"

"I told him how old I really am and how we all came to be here."

"Holy bajoly," Amber exclaimed in her characteristically weird way, "Why did you tell him that?"

"He asked," Katie answered simply.

"So if he asked you about you sex life, would you tell him that too?" Brattany asked half jokingly but half serious as she was trying to make a point.

Katie's face turned a deep, beet red.

"Hell no! Even though there is nothing to tell, that's my business! I would only tell people that I felt comfortable telling. Plus, it's not like Severus Snape is going to stop me in the middle of an Occlumency lesson and be like, 'There is another inquiry I have about your personal life, Ms. Insche. Are you a virgin?'"

Reluctantly, Amber and Brittany laughed. The imitation of Snape's voice and use of formal diction was simply too funny to ignore.

"Besides, Brittany," Katie added as a sudden afterthought, "If for some stupid reason I did have to tell Snape about my sex life, it's not like I have anything to be ashamed of."

"So," said Brittany with a mischeivious grin, "If you did have to tell him, what would you say?"

"I'd simply say that I'm saving myself for marriage, which is perfectly true as you both know," Katie answered with dignity.

"Wow, what an exciting and original answer," Brittnay said sarcastically.

"The point is that it's true," said Katie.

"So anyway," chimed in Amber, slightly embarrassed by the direction the conversation had taken, "What else did he have you do?"

"When the lesson first started, he told me to empty my mind by concentrating on something that I deeply love."

"Did you start thinking about-" Brittany began jokingly.

"No, I did not!" Katie wished she had never told Brittany that particular secret.

"What would you do though if he saw some of the memories?" Brittany asked.

"I really don't know," Katie mused, "It would all depend on what the memories were."

"Who did you think of?" Amber asked, completely confused by a secret that Katie had obviously only shared with Brittany.

"I thought of God."

"Did Snape know?" Brittany asked.

"I think he did based on the memories that he saw after that," Katie answered, not about to go into the way Snape had reacted. Somehow she knw that reaction had been very personal. She would not discuss it with anyone, except perhaps, one day, him.

"I'm really tired from tonight's lesson," Katie said before they could ask her anymore personal or embarrassing questions. "I think I'm gonna go to bed."

"Ok, goodnight," called Amber.

"Sweet dreams,' Brittany said wickedly.

Katie smiled. Maybe she would have wonderfully sweet dreams tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

From the peace and sanctity of his beloved office, Albus Dumbledore heard the pounding of the racing footsteps coming up the spiral staircase. Dumbledore knew he would come eventually, but he certainly had not expected this so soon. He was highly anxious to know just how much of it all had been revealed, not only to him, but to her as well.

Three rapid bangs met his ears as he slowly got to his feet, not knowing exactly how he would need to defend himself when he opened the violently shuttering door. With a sigh he grabbed the wooden handle and pulled the old door inward.

"Exactly when were you planning on telling me, Headmaster?" a seathing Snape asked through clenched teeth.

"Please, come and sit, Severus," Dumbledore said resignedly.

Glaring at the ever polite and proper old man, Snape reluctantly sat in the very same chair that Harry would occupy each time he entered the office.

"Now," Dumbledore began, "What is it that you wish to know, Severus?"

'I wish to know many things at the moment. First, I would like to know why Ms. Insche, Ms. Daniels, and Ms. Douglass arrived at Hogwarts in such an unusual manner. I do not believe that such a thing has ever been heard of before or if it is even possible. Though I used no veritesirum, I did employ a bit of Legilimency; Ms. Insche truly believes that she and her friends arrived at this school without having any type of warning about their arrival. She believes the three of them were in separate locations engaging in different tasks when they all found themselves on the Hogwarts Express. Explain this."

"I cannot," Dumbledore said simply.

"What do you mean you cannot?" Snape asked angrily, "Is this another one of your brilliant plans to meddle with another's life in order to accomplish tasks for the "greater good"? I will not have any part in this. Look at how this is already beginning to affect Lily Evans's son. Look at how it has affected me. And I dare say I will still be a pawn in your plans as long as I'm alive."

"Lily Potter," Dumbledore corrected quietly to cause Snape's tirade to come to an abrupt hault. "There is more to this than you could possibly understand at the moment. Since it involves others along with yourself, I can neither tell you what I know nor what I suspect. All I can say at this point is that there is a prophecy. And yes, it is the one you partially overheard. It contains much more than any of us could have possibly expected. Harry Potter and Voldemort are not the only ones involved. The only other thing I can say at this point is that one of these girls is special; I do not know which one, but I know it is crucial that she learn Occlumency. That is where your involvement in this begins."

"Begins?" Snape repeated confusedly, "Does this mean that I will have more to do in this? I do not wish to be tangled up in the lives of others when I do not know the reasons why!"

"You do not have a choice," Dumbledore tried to explain without evoking the entire secret to the annoyed man sitting before him, "Some of the events in the prophecy have already happened. It has already begun, and as far as I know, it will continue until the prophecy is fulfilled. You cannot stop it, Severus."

"And if I refuse to teach these girls Occlumency?'

A sad look slid easily onto Dumbledore's face.

"Then, you will possibly miss out on one of the greatest gifts you could ever be given over the course of your life."

"I lost that gift many years ago," Snape commented knowingly.

"That was only one gift," Dumbledore said sympathetically, "That does not mean that more will not come. Also, even if you do choose to no longer give Occlumency lessons, you will still be involved. If you continue to teach these three girls, in the long run, things will be much easier for all of you, including Harry Potter."

"Very well," said Snape grudgingly, "I will do this for the boy only; if life is easier on him, it would make her happy."

"Do you not mean "will make her happy", Severus?"

"She is dead," Snape answered softly, "The only word I can use is "would"."

"We have discussed this to no avail, so perhaps I will stop trying for now. Did you have any other matters you wished to know about?"

"Only one," said Snape, coming out of his rarely seen mood of mourning, "Tonight, I was trying yet again to have Ms. Insche empty her mind. She allowed me to get in too far, and the counter spell she used on me was highly unusual. She caused my wand to fly out of my hand and hover in a circular motion above my head. She has done this before. Do you know anything about this spell?"

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly. He had never heard of the spell either, but that didn't necessarily mean…

"I do not know of this spell," Dumbledore answered finally, "However, there are many spells and areas of magic that I am ignorant about. I will ask some of the other teachers and do a bit of research in the library. If I discover anything, I will tell you. Put it from your mind for now though, Severus. I do not think it is of great importance."

Though a quick retort was at the ready, Snape chose to remain silent; he had already been bold enough with the Headmaster tonight.

"Yes, Headmaster," he said, showing the slightest glimpse of humility;

"Well then Severus, if that is all, we shall end our session here."

"That is all for the moment," Snape replied in his usual cold manner.

"Goodnight then, Severus," said Dumbledore cherrily.

"Goodnight Headmaster," Snape said in turn.

Snape had to excersise a great deal of control over his boiling temper so as not to slam the door to the Headmaster's office on his way out. He was simply sick of this. Ever since the moment he had come back to Dumbledore and confessed his horrible deed of revealing the prophecy to the dark lord, Dumbledore had been using him in any way he could. And, of course, Snape was never informed of the reasoning behind his expected obedience and blind loyalty. Blind. What in the hell did this girl, these three girls, have to do with the prophecy? Which one was the "special" one? Special. What a curious word to apply to one of three girls that Dumbledore only seemed to know of from a prophecy. Yes, he would continue to teach them Occlumency, but he would try to solve this mystery on his own. It would save time and possibly pain. He merely had to ask the correct series of questions during the lessons. Katie Inshce, he already knew a bit about, but the others he knew next to nothing of. If he could only ask them now, he could tell Dumbledore of his findings and maybe spare the four of them from being forced under his calm yet powerful hand. If only he could ask them now. And yet, why not? After all, it wasn't as if they were in the dormitory.


	7. Chapter 7: Comments and Interviews

Chapter 7

Comments and Interviews

_ She stood upon another stage, but this time it was different; instead of her usual outfit—a mix of jeans, a fitted yet comfortable shirt, and plenty of punk/gothic jewelry—a flattering yet __moddest__ long, white dress covered her form. They were singing. As odd and as unbelievable as it was, the two of them were singing together. The contrasting voices somehow blended beautifully in the melody of their carefully considered song. She looked out onto the crowd; astonished yet delighted faces stared back at her. Few could believe that he was actually singing. As for her, it was highly predictable, but him? When the words indicated that it be done, she stretched her hand eagerly toward his, longing for the feeling of those five beautifully proportioned fingers._

"Katie!"

_ She expected this; as usual, the crowd was cheering her on. If only they would cheer for him too. After all, he only did this for her. He put aside his own disgust and apprehension all for her. Oh, how she loved him for this act of selflessness._

"Katie! Wake up!"

Why now? Did they have to need her to get up at this particular moment, when she was having one of the best dreams she had had in years?

She sat up quickly, forcing her blissful thoughts far back into her mind, making a mental note to thoroughly examine them at a more convenient time.

Brittany was standing there, looking completely normal. What did she want? It didn't seem as though there was any emergency.

"What?" Katie asked, highly annoyed by now.

"Snape is here. He wants to talk to us."

"Snape? Why is Snape here?"

"I just told you," said Brittany, a little annoyed herself now, "He wants to talk to us."

"What time is it? Why is he here so late?"

"Katie, it's only eleven o'clock on a Friday night," Brittany said in exasperation, "Come on, he's waiting for us."

"But look at me. I'm not decent."

"Then use magic and get yourself decent!"

"Fine," Katie snapped, frustrated at the lack of empathy from another female.

Without even taking a moment to consider what she was doing, Katie muttered a few words under her breath and made a couple of strange hand gestures. Instantly she was clad in daywear and her hair was neat and tidy once again.

"How did you do that?" Brittany asked stunned.

"Do what?" Katie replied.

"How did you do that magic without a wand?"

Katie thought for a moment. She looked down at her right hand; sure enough, there was no wand. She then looked at her nightstand to see her wand sitting where she always kept it at night.

"I don't know how I did it," she confessed, "I didn't really even notice. It was like instinct took over or something. Let's go now. He's probably wondering where we are."

The two girls left Katie's organized bedroom, Brittany staring at Katie all the way into the living room.

"So nice of you to finally join us, Ms. Insche," Snape said sarcastically.

"I was sleeping. What do you expect?" Katie replied, not in the mood for these foolish little pickings after she had divulged a great deal of personal information to a man who really didn't seem to give a damn.

Snape did not reply. A tiny smirk met Katie's lips as she thought of how many times that night she had said something that had caused Snape to be silent.

"I am here to ask each of you a series of personal questions. These questions will cover material that the Headmaster may need to be told of. These matters may prove to be extremely urgent, so if I get up and leave in the middle of one of your answers, you will know that I am going to the Headmaster's office. I would like to start with Ms. Daniels first. I will then question Ms. Douglass, and finally Ms. Insche. Each of these sessions will last about an hour."

"So why didn't you just let me sleep until you were ready to question me since I'm last?" Katie asked, truly frustrated now that her dreams had been abruptly interrupted two hours before they should have been.

"Because, Ms. Insche, your friends were already awake so their minds are in an active state. Yours needs a chance to wake up and become fully functional. Though, from your lack of progress in our Occlumency lessons, I am resigned to accept the fact that this may never happen."

"Well, sir," Katie retorted, forcing her voice to be calm and collected while feeling her mind erupt in fury, "If I remember correctly, I believe the expression says that "those who can't do, teach"."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape said firmly, "You will not speak to me in that manner ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Katie said confidently, refusing to show him any guilt.

"Ms. Douglass and Ms. Insche, you will leave the room now while I question Ms. Daniels."

"Yes, sir," Brittany said in a more respectful tone.

She grabbed Katie's arm and pulled her from the room before any other harsh words could be exchanged. When they were in the kitchen, Brittnay shut the door and turned on Katie.

"Oh my god, Katie. Why were you acting like such a bitch in there?"

"Because," Katie began heatidly, "What he said reminded me of my family. They always put me down just because I was younger and they could get away with it. I hated it when they did that in my own home! No one deserves to be disrespected in their own home, especially by someone who doesn't live there! I will not tolerate that anymore."

"But, Katie, Snape isn't related to you, and in this world there is a big age difference between you. I know what times you're talking about with your family, and that was totally wrong of them because you were eighteen. But here, everyone thinks you're only eleven. I know you told Snape that you're actually twenty, but that's gonna take a little while for him to get used to. Plus, that's just Snape's way; after all the crap he's gone through, it's obvious he's going to be cold and bitter towards everyone."

Katie was shocked. She was normally the one out of the three who tried to look at conflicts between others logically and with empathy. The others did possess the qualities of logic and empathy, but Katie was the one who was in training to do this type of thing for a profession. It seemed to her that she was currently failing abysmally.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," she said finally, "I don't think I'm completely over everything I went through those last few years with my family. I really did overreact, didn't I? You're right. It could have been anyone Snape was speaking to. Again, I took something that someone said very personally when in actually it's not my problem at all; it's their's."

"Well, you know how you can fix it, at least for yourself if not for Snape."

"I know," Katie sighed deeply, "That will take a lot of humility."

The two sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes. Brittany finaly broke the quiet by mentioning music. They began to discuss the possibility of creating some kind of a music program at Hogwarts when Snape and Amber entered the kitchen.

"I will speak with you now, Ms. Douglass," Snape stated.

Brittany got up from her bar stool and followed Snape into the living room. Amber took the warmed seat. She looked very shaky and uncomfortable.

"What kinds of questions did he ask you?" Katie inquired while filling a glass with water from the kitchen sink for her sick-looking friend.

Amber accepted the glass greatfully, taking several large gulps.

"Oh my gosh. He asked me so many things—things that I thought I would only tell a couple of people, like you. He told me I had to answer since the information was for Dumbledore. He knows about tons of things: who my real father is and the whole story behind that, what my uncle did to me, the different moods I'm in because of different things, some of the weaknesses and temptations I have, my study habits, the fights I got into with all of my family members, what areas of school I was smart in. I mean, pretty much, you name it and he knows it."

"He found out all of this stuff in an hour?"

"Yeah, he saw most of it through memories. The rest I had to tell him about. There was no way I was going to let him see the memory of my uncle. I'm telling you now, anything you don't want him to know, keep it hidden in the back of your mind. That's where Occlumency comes in."

"B-but," Kattie stammered frantically, thinking of all that she had no intention of telling anyone of, "I can't do Occlumency. There are a few things, one in particular, that he just can't know about. It could possibly ruin everything."

"You're lucky then," said Amber, "When you start he asks you how you want to do it: by telling him or by showing him. It's easier for me to show him everything rather than talking about it. You can just tell him everything."

"Ok," Katie breathed in sweet relief, "Thank goodness."

The two then started talking about old high school memories that made them laugh and smile fondly. They then moved on to what they had been doing in college.

The door to the kitchen opened yet again. Snape let Brittany in, and then looked at Katie.

"Ms. Insche, it is your turn now."

"Ok," said Katie, saying a silent prayer that things would go well.

The two walked into the living room, letting the kitchen door shut on their way out.


	8. Chapter 8: Spoiled to Suffering

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the few lyrics to "Family Portrait" by Pink or the title "Death's Haunt" by Kayla Mecher.

Spoiled to Suffering

When they reached the living room, Katie and Snape sat across from each other in identical, blue, wing-backed chairs. As they settled themselves into comfortable positions, Snape spoke.

"Now, Ms. Insche, I will be asking you a great number of questions that range from the general to the specific, from the positive to the negative, and from the normal to the extraordinary. The answers and information you give me will be used to help the Headmaster in a way that I cannot discuss with you; however, since your answers will be going directly to the Headmaster, your response to every question is absolutely maditory. Also, due to the seriousness of this interview, you will refrain from making any caustic comments about the questions or their nature. Is this understood?"

"Yes," answered Katie, deciding now would be the best time to bring up the events that took place earlier. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier about the expression "those who can't do teach." It was very disrespectful and unnecessary. I'm sorry that I lost my temper again, especially after we discussed controlling my anger."

Snape was shocked by two thigns: the fact that a student dared to bring up an incident of insulting a professor to said professor and that this student, that this girl, actually had the courage and humility to apologize to him. No student had ever done either of these things to him before. Perhps her true age had something to do with it. Or was there something else, something well hidden yet just now only buried slightly under the surface of the complex human mind? If she chose for him to use Legilimency, he would probably be able to unravel this intricate mystery that sat calmly before him, cautiously awaiting his reply.

"If you are ever to learn Occlumency, you must be able to control your anger along with other emotions," Snape replied finally, "Before we begin this interview, I need to know in which way you wish me to obtain your answers; would you like me to employ Legilimency to extract certain memories from you, or will you volunteer the information I seek verbally?"

"I'll just tell you my answers," Katie said decisively.

"Very well. The questioning will begin now. Tell me of the events of your childhood. This age category should stop around age twelve to thirteen. I wish to know about anything you can remember, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Now, begin."

Katie thought for a moment and then started to speak. She told Snape of her first childhood friends, where she met them, their personalities, and what they did together. Since one of these friends was in her Girl Scotus troop, she told him all she could remember of those days, of how she was always the misfit in the troop until two other misfits joined a couple of years before she quit. She told him about the slumber parties she had with these friends and the pranks they played on eachother at them. She spoke of the location and happenings that occurred at her birthday parties. She told him of her school days: how she had a large group of friends that slowly dwindled down to a select few over time as she became more of a self-actualized introvert. She told him of her teachers and of the punishments they gave her. She explained her year in fifth grade as an eleven-year-old nearly ready to blossom into a woman, and how during this time she only cared about her friends thinking she was the greatest person that ever walked the earth. She told him how the "new girl" at school was the most popular, and how this girl had constantly talked about the attractiveness of one of the boys in their class. She then told Snape how she bribed this boy to be her boyfriend and smugly enjoyed the definite increase in her popularity as people found out that she was dating the boy that the new girl thought attractive. She then mentioned that when she bribed this boy to date her, he was dating one of her friends at the time. She discussed her circle of fifth grade friends in great detail, and told him of the horrible ways that they treated the ones who were unpopular in class. When she finished with this point, Katie stopped to see if Snape had any reaction based on how he was treated when he was at school. A deep frown was placed firmly on his thin face.

"Continue, Ms. Insche," he said coldly, "But now I wish to hear of your parents, the conflicts you had with them, what they were about, the ways in which they parented you until your mother died."

Katie began happily. She spoke of the deep love she held for her mother and the personality traits that she inherited from her. She told him of the regular things they did: fastfood Friday nights eating many different varieties of fastfood on TV trays while watching whatever suited them at the time, the semiannually cleaning out of some of her toys from her bedroom and the den so that her father could donate them to those less fortunate, the giant Thanksgiving dinner her family shared, hanging Christmas orniments on the tree with her father, listening to music with her mother every time they drove anywhere, jokingly arguing with her father over the type of music they listened to in the car, her father trying to act "cool" in front of her friends and actually embarrassing her terribly, going to the mall with her mother to shop for clothing or Beanie Babies, the ways in which her parents punished her—including grounding, taking away privillages, and the long, agonizing lectures her mother gave her, watching her parents fight about things that she rarely knew the cause of, feeling anger towards her father for making her mother cry during these fights, hearing her mother speak of the demons she saw when they had these fights and her blood sugar skyrocketed completely out of her control due to the stress, of how her dramatic mother threatened to kill herself by overdosing on insulin at the beginning of these fights, about her father's lack of communication that frequently caused the fights, about all of the ridiculous things she fought with her mother about, about the time that she said horrible things to her father about a month before her mother died because of her frustrations surrounding her mother's constant illness and her father's deepening depression, about how once at the hospital her father had annoyed her and she dug her fingernails into his wrist, about how he unexpectedly retaliated by repeated the action on her own risk, about how she still had the scar from this incident, about the tone she used when telling him he should never have made her go back to the summer camp for the blind.

"Tell me more about this camp for the blind," Snape probed.

"When I was six," Katie began, "My parents sent me to a month-long summer camp for the blind. While I was there, the chaperones took my cane in order to "help" me get up and down staircases, left my friend and I unsupervised outdoors when we decided to climb up a dangerous fire escape, and gave my friend and I a severe punishment for climbing the fire escape. This would be perfectly fine if they had told us that it was against the rules in the first place. Three years later, my parents sent me back. They took me back home after two weeks when I told them that the house mother wouldn't let me use the restroom after a certain time at night and that one of my roommates was telling my friend and I what she watched her teenage sister and her boyfriend doing when their parents weren't home. I think it also had something to do with the fact that my mom's friend, who also had a blind son attending the camp, went to his room to visit and found a teenage boy and girl engaging in sexual activities in plain view of anyone who happened to walk by in the hallway."

"What a terrible environment to have a spoiled child in. I'm sure those circumstances are much worse than those that anyone else could ever imagine having in their lives," Snape said sarcastically.

"They were the worst circumstances I knew at that time, but now, I know differently," Katie replied, finally having enough will to control her Irish temper.

"We will continue now. Were you finished telling me of your childhood?"

"Yes."

"Then I wish for you to tell me of the year you spent with your father after your mother died. I know there is more than what you told me earlier, so this time I expect you to leave nothing out."

Katie thought for a moment. There was only one thing she did not want to tell him for the moment.

"The only other thing I didn't tell you was that during this time I was extremely depressed. The rages were only part of it. All I did during this year was go to school, do homework, eat, and sleep. I did quite a bit of the latter two. When I am very stressed or depressed, I eat large quantities of food. For some reason, it gives me a temporary relief. I slept so much, because all other activities required energy that I simply did not have. Yet every time I worke up, I never felt refreshed. I felt exactly like I did when I fell asleep. A little over half way through this year, I went to Arizona to visit my grandparents. I forgot to tell you before that I lived in Oklahoma until I was fourteen. Anyway, I visited them for two months while I was on summer vacation. When I came back, I went through my CD collection and realized that about one fifth of my CDs were missing."

"What are CDs?" Snape asked, looking as if he only wanted the answer for informational purposes rather than to satisfy his own curiosity.

"They are discs that hold music. They are played in a CD player. But like I was saying, about one fifth of my CD collection was missing. I asked my dad about this, and he told me that his friend, LeAnne, had to have stolen them. I do not know the exact nature of their relationship. To be honest, I didn't want to know. I didn't want someone replacing my mom. He called her to confront her, and, of course, she denied it. Come to find out, she had also stolen my dad's iron and a quilt that my grandmother had made. This added to my depression, because music has always been a huge part of my life and some of those CDs were given to me by my mom and my dad before he became an alcoholic. I was so depressed that I wanted to go to the parties that the popular kids at my school threw—the ones with alcohol and drugs at them. I figured that if my dad was using alcohol as a substitute, than it must have been doing some good. Luckily, my disability kept me in the house and away from the parties. Meanwhile, my dad's alcoholism was getting worse. He joined Alcoholics Anonymous, but it didn't help much. Both of us were seeing a counselor, but I couldn't tell her exactly how I was feeling, because he went to her alone for most of the sessions. Life had become something that was just there, something dull and meanighless but always present. One day, my dad was very late when he came to pick me up from school. He was drunk. This was the first time he had ever picked me up drunk. We saw the counselor a few weeks later, and I told her about this. I told her that life was completely hopeless. I told her that I just didn't know what to do anymore. She told me that if I didn't call my grandparents that lived in Oklahoma right when I got home and tell them that I needed to move in with them that she would call Child Protective Services. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life so far. I cried all the way home in the car. My dad asked me what was going on, but the counselor told me not to tell him until after my grandparents had agreed to my new living arrangements. They came to pick me up about an hour later. I lived with them from then on. This was on a Tuesday night. I next saw my dad on Saturday. We all went out to dinner and came back to my dad's house, my old house, to play a card game. The tiniest spark of hope had returned to me, because he was actually sober and not hung over. I thought I would soon be moving back in with him. How wrong I was. On Monday, I had ot go back over there to do some work on my computer. Do you know what a computer-"

"Yes, I know what it is," Snape snapped, eager for her to continue.

"Well, when my grandfather dropped me off, my dad was extremely drunk. The overwhelming depression flooded back faster than I've ever felt any emotion before. I remember having part of a popular song stuck in my head. The song was about parents in the midst of a divorce, but one part of it related to my situation. "Can we work it out? Can we be a family? I promise I'll be better. Daddy please don't leave." I walked around the entire house singing this portion of the song. At this point in my life, I truly felt mentally ill, as if I was haunted, possessed by some evil spirit that would never leave. I left for the day a few hours later. I came back the next day to do some more homework, and used a strategy my grandfather had come up with the night before: apathetic indifference. I was coldly polite to my dad even though he was sober again. The next day, my friend, Kayla, read a poem she wrote for our English class called "Death's Haunt" that she had written about the pain she felt from her grandfather's death. When I got home from school, my grandparents told me that my dad hadn't called to tell them how his doctor's appointment had gone. He had an appointment earlier that day. They told me to try calling him to see if he would answer the phone for me. I tried, but when I said that it was me and told him to pick up the phone, there was no kind of response. Frustrated by this time, I said "fine, thanks for being a terrific father" into the answering machine and hung up the phone. A couple of hours later, my grandfather decided to go over to the house, because we still had heard nothing from him. I wanted to go with him, but both of my grandparents said no. To this day, I am very thankful for that. About fifteen minutes after my grandfather had left, the phone rang. My grandmother answered it and suddenly started screaming and crying. Without even hearing her say it, I knew what had happened. I started crying as well when she ran over and hugged me so tightly that it hurt. At the same time I was thinking about how I now was an orphan, but I also felt an enormous sense of relief; his pain, my pain, had ended; it was all over now."

Katie trailed off, lost in her own sea of memories. Snape let her indulge in self-reflections for a few minutes. He couldn't believe the similarities between them: the same reaction to a vial concoction, the same anger and sadness, the same feeling of utter hopelessness and the unwillingness to live. Yet this last bit was not necessarily true. She had not said anything about desires to commit suicide. But somehow he knew, or perhaps he only hoped.

"There is a bit more to this that you have not told me," he said after a time.

"Yes," Katie said, coming out of her thoughts, "I also felt guilty for what I had said and done. Actually, I still do. When I said the horrible thing to him over the phone, his cold corpse was lying on the kitchen floor. During the last year we had together, he tried to do things with me that would remind both of us of Mom. One night, he cooked gulash. My mom made this for dinner a lot because I really liked it. She made it very plainly; no spices were added. When I tried my dad's it had all kinds of unusual spices in it. I refused to eat it, because it wasn't exactly like Mom's. He made a huge pot of it just for me, but I wouldn't eat any. When my mom was alive, the three of us sometimes took road trips to Kansas City—a town that was only a four hour drive from where we used to live. We went to this amusement park while we were there. All of us loved it. My dad set up a trip for the two of us to go for a few days. The night we got there, I couldn't sleep. I'm not exactly sure why, but I got hardly any sleep the entire night. The next morning, we went to the amusement park, and I didn't have any fun. I think it's because I felt so sick from lack of sleep. We rode on a couple of the rides, and I was really cranky the entire time. Dad asked me if I wanted to go home. I did. I didn't feel well, I wasn't having fun, and I was reading a very good book that I had left at home. I never considered his feelings in this situation. I don't even remember if he was having a good time or not; all I thought about was myself. In both of these cases, I was just so damn selfish. Even though I know now that what I did was wrong, that doesn't make it any easier to cope with. Now, it is too late to even apologize to him."

Again, Katie stopped. Snape understood again; he too had guilty feelings that lingered inside of him. And for him as well, it was too late to apologize. He knew exactly what that felt like. He wondered if the feeling ever fully went away.

"Yet," he began eventually, "I believe that there is one more thing that you are not telling me."

"No," Katie lied, "There's nothing else."

"You are lying to me. Remember, I am an accomplished legilimense. Now, tell me what else is there."

This was one secret that Katie rarely shared. She would only disclose it to those she knew she could trust and count on. She knew that her own private wishes would not make this sitation a reality.

"No," she answered simply.

"What did you say?" Snape began angrily.

"I said no. That part of the situation is private."

"Ms. Insche," Snpe said in a tone of deadly frigidity, "This information is for the Headmaster. You will tell me about this last part of that year, and you will tell me right now."

"I will not," Katie said stubbornly, "If Dumbledore wants to know, then he can come and ask me himself and receive the same answer."

"Twenty points from Gryffendor," Snape shot at her.

'Take as many points as you want. That won't make me tell you."

"One of your friends told me about her sexual abuse. That is the worst thing you could tell me about, and I've already heard it from another. Now, tell me."

"It is not sexual abuse, and it is not as bad; however, I do not want to tell you now. I seriously doubt that it will be that important for the information you have to give Dumbledore."

Snape, though stubborn himself, knew that he had finally met a person that would stick to her convictions even if it meant the distruction of the world as long as she thought they were right. He could still find out through Legilimancy.

"It is getting late," he commented, "We will contine this interview on Friday night along with you Occlumency lesson."

Snape stood, strode to the apartment door, and let himself out. Katie walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water before she went to bed and also to talk to Amber and Brittany. When she walked in, she saw that they both had long since gone to bed. She glanced at the clock sitting on top of the microwave. It read 3:26 am.


	9. Chapter 9: Halloween

Chapter 9

Halloween

A couple of weeks seemed to pass extremely quickly for the three girls. Classes went as expected; Katie, Brittany, and Hermione outshined the rest, but Amber still stood out by far in Occlumency. During the lessons following the questioning session in the apartment, Snape tried to find out what secret Katie was hiding from him. She, however, was never willing to comply with his wishes. He tried using Dumbledore's "need" for the information to persuade her to tell him, but she still resisted. Due to this and to Snape's growing impatience, he aksed her no more questions concerning anything in her life. He realized how willing she was to discuss most parts of her life with others, so he would not give her the satisfaction of being able to answer more questions, at least not until she answered the one. Therefore, Occlumency lessons proceeded as usual. By the end of October, Katie had still not made any progress in this complex branch of magic. Snape had finally grown so frustrated that he had given her a week's worth of detentions in the hope that she would put in more effort practicing. Oddly enough this did not seem to annoy her as it would have the other students. She accepted the punishment almost willingly. After five days of the detentions, Snape still did not understand why.

On this Saturday night, Snape had set her the task of stirring numerous potions that were to be sent to the hospital wing. This he trusted her to do as she was already making potions used in his N.E.W.T. lessons, though she did not know this. He saw no reason to add any pride to her inflated ego. He had no choice really; she and her friend had become so skilled in the subject that they finished prepairing all of the first year potions within ten minutes of the beginning of the class period.

Snape walked out of his storage room, bringing several flasks and bottles with him for her to start working on. She was so intent on stirring a blood replenishing potion that she had not noticed his return. He watched her carefully stir the thin liquid and listened to her humming a tune very softly as she worked. This was a typical first year girl, a typical dreamer. Yet she was not an eleven-years-old anymore. He walked over to her, wanting to end the suffocating happy and peaceful mood that had entered his serious and depressing dungeon.

"Are you finished stirring that yet?" he snapped coldly.

"Almost," she said cheerily, "Just three more clockwise stirs and then the counterclockwise."

"I never told you to stir it counterclockwise," said Snape angrily, "Why would you do such a thing?"

"Well, I overheard you talking to an older Slytherin student about this potion after two of his friends had gotten into a fight. You told him to get the best effects he should add a counterclockwise stir at the very end."

"Why is it, Ms. Insche, that you remember things that were never meant for your own ears?" Snape asked heatidly.

'I really don't know," Katie replied contemplatively, "I've always been able to remember a huge amount of information."

"Well then," Snape began, "Did you remember that tonight happens to be the night of the Halloween Feast?"

'Yes," Katie said, unsure of why Snape of all people would be bringing this up.

"You will be sorry then that you have remembered this particular fact as you will not be attending it."

"Why?" Katie asked, "I don't really care either way if I go or not, but why are you telling me that I can't go?"

"There are two reasons, Ms. Insche. First, you will not be able to make it on time if you keep adding extra little finishing touches to my carefully laid out instructions for making these potions, such as the counterclockwise stir. Second, I will not let you leave this dungeon to attend the Halloween Feast until you tell me what the other thing was that you did during the year you spent with your alcoholic father."

Instantly, the happy mood vanished. Katie's face grew angry. She had had enough of this question. Why couldn't he just realize that she was not going to tell him until she was ready?

"What if I don't go to the feast when I leave your dungeon? What if I just go to the apartment?"

"You will answer this question tonight, Ms. Insche, or it will prove to be a very long weekend for the both of us."

"You can't be serious," Katie started, her temper rising rapidly, "This is black mail. If Dumbledore knew you were doing this, how do you think he'd react?"

"And that is not black mail?" Snape countered smoothly.

"It is, but for a much better reason than yours. Now, we have gone through this many times before. I will not share this subject with you. You will let me out of this dungeon, and you will do it at 7:30 pm like we agreed on before!"

Snape finally decided to try another tactic.

"Why will you tell no one what this secret is?" he asked, putting the smallest hint of weariness in his voice, "What exactly do you have to hide from everyone?"

"I don't have anything to hide, but this is no one's business. I mean, half of the stuff I told you before was no one's business. Also, I don't know you very well. This isn't something that I can just tell anyone about. I have to know that person somewhat first. I'm sure you have secrets that you would not want to tell me, especially not at this point," she added, thinking of the seventh Harry Potter book.

Snape's face darkened. Yes, there were many things that this girl would never know about him. There were things that even Potter did not know about him, and he had more of a claim to them then she did.

"Congratulations, Ms. Insche," said Snape in a tone of grim defeat, "You are the first student who has ever caused me to give up on accomplishing a task for Dumbledore. However, you should not be proud of this. The information I obtained from you was going to be used to help Dumbledore."

"Oh, please don't try to use a guilt trip on me," Katie began wearily, "I have dealt with that way too many times in the past few years of my life. I do not need to put up with it while I am here. And I did not mean to let him down. I just would rather tell him in my own way and at the right time."

"You will still stay in this dungeon until 7:30," Snape said, wanting to change the subject as soon as possible, "You will then return to your apartment and remain there until tomorrow morning. This will give you more time to practice emptying your mind, which is why you are here in the first place. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Katie replied.

"Very well then. You may continue with your work."

Katie stirred potion after potion for the remainder of the detention. Finally, the clock on the wall in its plane black frame showed 7:30.

"You are now dismissed, Ms. Insche," Snape annonunced in his usual indifferent tone, "And to make sure that you do not attend the feast, I will escort you to your apartment."

"Yes, sir," Katie agreed reluctantly.

The two left the dungeon. They began to walk silently toward the apartment when a horrible smell met their nostrils. Snape's face suddenly flooded with concern.

"What is it?" Katie asked, sensing rather than seeing his sudden tension.

"Run," he said calmly, "Run to your apartment right now. Do not stop for anything. You will do as I say this instant."

Katie suddenly remembered this event in the books.

"I want to help you. I can help you get rrid of the troll," she said, not knowing exactly how this could be achieved but knowing it all the same.

Snape wondered how this girl from the muggle world could possibly recognize the distinct scent of a troll.

"You will go back this minute or I will make you!" he shouted.

"No," she said, "I'm going to help with this."

Making up his mind immediately Snape pulled out his wand.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Katie watched as the silver doe burst out of the tip of Snape's wand.

"Make her go back!"

Suddenly, silvery fire blazed in the doe's eyes. It ran at her, head down, ready to attack. Katie began running; she did not know what would happen to her if the patronus touched her, but she had no intention of finding out. It chased her through corridors and passages until she was finally at her apartment door. She unlocked the door magically and flung herself inside, slamming the door behind her. While she stood trying to catch her breath, she realized that Snape probably didn't think to have the patronus stand outside the apartment door. He probably had it fade as soon as she was inside. She decided instantly to go back outside to try and at least help Harry, Ron, and Hermione fight the troll.

She cautiously opened the apartment door. The patronus had gone. She ran back down the corredors to the girl's bathroom that she knew the trio would be in. By the time she made it down to the correct place, Snape, McGonigal, and Quirrel were there. She hid herself partially behind a short statue and waited for the professors to leave the bathroom.

McGonigall, Harry, Ron, and Hermione exited first. They were followed closely by Snape. He stopped by the statue that Katie was hiding behind.

"When Quirrell has left, I wish to speak with you," Snape breathed angrily.

After a few moments, Quirrell emerged with the ugly troll floating along behind him. After he had turned the corner to enter another corridor, Snape grabbed Katie's arm and pulled her roughly out from behind the statue.

"I told you," he began furiously, "To stay in your apartment for the rest of the night! You completely disobeyed my instructions. I want you to tell me why."

"I don't know how to explain it, but I just knew that I could help get rid of the troll. I also knew that if I did it myself I would save Harry, Ron, and Hermione a lot of trouble."

"And just what exactly was your plan? How were you going to defeat a mountain troll by yourself and with very little magical education to assist you?"

Katie thought about this for a minute. She had had no plan. This seemed very strange to her; she had always had to plan things out before acting upon them. While it was true that she could be spontaneous if she had to, she much preferred having some kind of plan. The fact that she was this willing to face the danger of a mountain troll without having any idea of how to stop it scared her.

"I didn't have a plan," she confessed, "I just knew somehow that I could easily defeat the troll."

"Along with emptying your mind you must also work on lessening your arrogance," Snape replied, convinced that her sureness in herself came only from this source.

"It's not arrogance exactly," Katie tried to explain, "I felt it in my heart and mind more than anything that I could help the other three. I didn't have to think about it at all; the thought and feeling were just there. With arrogance, a person usually has to justify his or her own actions whether that person has performed them or not. An arrogant person usually has the attitude that they can perform this action because they know better than anyone how to do it. I didn't think this way. I just knew I could help. I realize how ridiculous this sounds since I haven't had much magical education, but I really can't explain it accurately. I knew that the patronus would vanish once I was inside of the apartment, and then I knew I had to leave immediately to try and help."

Snape thought for a moment. She was correct; what she experienced was extremely close to arrogance, but he could see the subtle differences. He had never heard of instincts such as these, and he had certainly never heard of them kicking in this strongly, especially in a person who was a careful planner, as he knew she must be. And how could she possibly know that he had produced a patronous? First years rarely knew of patronouses. What else was Dumbledore not telling him?

"How did you know that the creature of light that came from my wand was a patronous?"

"I-," Katie frantically tried to think of a quick answer that would not reveal the existence of the books. "I've, um, read about them in some library book. I-I can't remember what it was called, but that's where I found out about patronouses."

"Do you know what I believe? I believe that you are lying to me. You are a very poor liar. I do not even need to use Legilimancy on you to tell that you are lying to me. Your stuttering and the use of the word "um" are a dead give away. But I suppose your wonderful Christian upbringing did not teach you how to lie successfully," Snape added, his thin lips forming a snear.

"No, it didn't," said Katie, "And if you want to know the truth about how I know about patronouses, I think you should talk to Professor Dumbledore."

"I will. Now, you will return to your apartment, and this time you will stay there. If you disobey me again, I will take one hundred points from Gryffindor and give you a month's detentions with Mr. Filch. If you do not want this punishment, then I strongly advise you to exert some control over your wishes and whims and to remain in your apartment where you belong."

"Yes, sir," she replied defeatedly.

"Good," said Snape softly, "Go, now."


	10. Chapter 10: Another Denial

Chapter 10

Another Denial

"Oh, here we go again," Dumbledore muttered as he heard the thuds of angry foot falls coming up the spiral staircase. Then it came, the pounding of a strong fist upon the door.

"Come in," Albus called wearily.

"You have much to explain to me," Severus growled through clenched teeth.

"And where, exactly, would you like me to start, Severus?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"What is the secret behind these three girls? Why are they here? What makes one of them "special" as you put it?"

"I've already told you that I cannot give you the answers to these questions, becau-"

"Yes, I know, the prophecy and all of that rubbish, but after what I have just witnessed, I believe you owe me at least one answer."

"What have you just witnessed?" asked Dumbledore, a sharp and interested note in his voice.

Snape then told him of what had occurred earlier that night with Katie. He put a great amount of emphasis on how her instincts seemed to tell her that she could help with the troll.

"What does not make sense here is that the girl had no plan; she just knew that she could help somehow. Of course, at first I thought she was lying, but she has lied to me before. I could tell she believed all she said to be true. What does this mean?"

"To be honest, Severus, I am not sure. I can only venture a guess, but that I cannot reveal to you."

"Is there anything you can _reveal_ to me?" Snape asked impatiently.

Dumbledore thought for a moment. Unless he told Snape something, the hammering on his office door would become a weekly occurance.

"I will tell you one thing," Dumbledore began slowly, "The three girls told me of a set of books that exist that tell of Harry Potter's seven years at Hogwarts. So far, the events in those books seem to be true. Due to this, I told the girls not to tell anyone of the books and to let me read them only after the events in each one have occurred. That is how they knew of Occlumency and also how they knew to jump onto the desks so quickly in their first Potions class."

"Why would you decide to read the books after the events have taken place?"

"I believe that the events in these books are meant to happen. If I were to read them now, I do not think I could stop myself from preventing tragedies."

"Is that not a good thing though?" asked Snape astonished.

"It is not a good thing in the case of Harry Potter's life versus the greater good of the wizarding world."

"Yes," Snape began angrily, "When it comes to that family, preventing tragedies seems to be at the bottom of your list."

"Severus, you know I could not prevent her death. If you wish to blame anyone for it, blame Voldemort."

"I blame all involved, including myself."

A sad look came onto Dumbledore's face.

"Perhaps one day in the distant future the pain from her death will begin to leave you."

Severus felt the grief coming to him agin, quick, strong, encompassing nearly every fiber of his being, leaving only a small portion of his self-control. Not able to voice a proper goodbye, he strode toward the door, flung it open, and rushed back down the staircase. He threw himself into a hidden passage and began to weap bitterly. Dumbledore knew nothing. Pain this deep could never leave him; it couldn't even begin to rise from its barely consealed void within his heart. Why could they not just leave him alone, leave him to grieve his love in peace? Perhaps it would be easier if he was only teaching Potions, but Occlumency, the subject so deeply connected to emothions? And now to know that there was a set of books concerning Lily's son? He wondered what they contained of her life, of his own life.

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"Come in!" she called, quickly stoing her headphones in their case.

"It's Snape again," said Brittany, "He wants to talk to all of us."

"Is this turning into some kind of habit?" Katie asked.

"I don't know, but at least we're all awake this time."

Katie laughed at Brittany's joking implication.

"Yeah, I know that was kind of scary. I'm sorry."

"Hey, at least you apologized to the right person. Now come on before Snape gets even angrier."

"What do you mean angrier?"

"Well," Brittnay began, "When I saw him a couple of minutes ago, he seemed really upset."

"Huh," Katie said. She chose to leave out the comment that immediately sprang to her mind. She thought of how being upset could contain a vast array of emotions, not necessarily anger.

They entered the living room to once again be interviewed by Snape.

"Tonight, I wish to speak with the three of you together. I want you to tell me everything you can about the set of seven books that tell of Harry Potter's life."

The three looked at each other, wondering what to say.

"Dumbledore told us not to tell anyone about the books, so I don't really think we can tell you," said Brittany carfully.

"Yes, I know what he told you," Snape said impatiently, "But he has granted me permission to know what events occur in these books. Now, tell me."

"He's lying," Katie said matter-of-factly to Amber nad Brittany, "Dumbledore never told him this."

Snape simply stared. Even Voldemort had never known when he was lying, so how could she possibly know?

"And what, may I ask, makes you suspect me of deceit?"

"I know you are lying, because I noticed a very slight change to the tone of your voice. You may be able to keep your face straight and your mind blocked, but I can gaurentee that your voice will always give you away. Plus, Professor Dumbledore was very addiment about himself not knowing what happens in the books until after the events have happened here, so why would he tell you at 11:00 at night to come here and find out what is in the books for him? If he really needed to know right now, why didn't he just come here himself?"

Snape thought about what was just said. Logic and intense hearing. Could this gilr possibly help if the Dark Lord returned once more? No, not unless she learns Occlumency. But he would have to work on putting more control into his voice.

"Very perceptive, Ms. Insche," Snape said sarcastically, "While your suspicions may prove true, can you actually proe that the Headmaster did not ask me to come here tonight? Do you really know what he asked of me? Are you so confident in your own abilities that you will continue to support your claim until you are proven wrong?"

"Yes," said Katie without even pausing to think, "I know he would never reveal the contents of the books to anyone without looking to see what they were for himself first."

"So," said Snape heatidly, "Will you tell me nothing of these books?"

"Nothing," Amber replied.

"Wait," Katie said, "What if we make you a deal?"

"And what _deal_ are you speaking of?" Snape asked.

"Professor Dumbledore wants to read each book after each year Harry completes at Hogwarts, because each book equals one year. When he is finished reading it, I will let you read it. Of course, I'll have to get Dumbledore's permission, but I think he will let us do this since the events have already happened."

"This seems reasonable," Snape relented, "I expect to be given the first book over the summer then. Please speak to the Headmaster about this as soon as possible."

"We will," said Amber, "We'll try and go tomorrow."

"Very well. Now, good night."

Snape rose from the firm chair and exited the apartment.

"Wow, I can't believe he went for ti that easily," said Amber.

"I know," Brittany chimed in enthusiastically, "Maybe he's distracted or something. So do we want to go see Dumbledore tomorrow?'

"Yeah, we can go after dinner," Katie stated, "I wanted to ask him about starting something anyway."


	11. Chapter 11: The Choir

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the song titles "Still Still Still", "Sleighbells", or "A Garlend of Carols".

The Choir

"Disgusting."

"What's disgusting?" asked Amber.

"This stuff that they call dinner," Katie answered through a grimace.

"Well, it wasn't that bad," said Brittany, "I mean, I had to add some salt to it, but still it wasn't terrible."

"I just hate bland food. And seasoning it with salt and pepper doesn't really spice it up much."

"Ok, it's just food," said Amber in exasperation, "At least we have some. At least we're not starving. You should be thankful for what you have. Just eat it and get over it."

"You don't get it," Katie began, trying to think of an adequate way to explain the situation, "When I dislike some kind of food, I don't just dislike the taste. It almost always makes me gag too. How do you eat something you're gagging on? If you know please tell me, because I've never been able to figure it out."

Katie dropped her fork onto her plate next to the Yorkshier pudding. She looked carefully at the dishes next to her and grabbed five dinner rolls.

"Bread again," she said sadly.

"You are such a picky eater," said Brittany.

"I know, and I really wish I wasn't. But I don't know how to fix it. I keep trying new things and trying things that I don't like over and over again, but that doesn't seem to make a difference. I know what I like, and the kitchens at this castle don't seem to have any of it."

"I know you love to cook," said Amber, "Instead of complaining every night why don't you just go down to the kitchens and cook dinner each night. You always get done with your homework before dinner, so it's not like you don't have time."

"Do you think I'd be allowed to do that?"

"You can ask Dumbledore when we talk to him in a few minutes," Brittany replied.

When the three finished their dinner they went to the staff table to meet Dumbledore.

"What was it that you wanted to speak with me about," he asked the three kindly.

"Well, Professor Snape came to our apartment last night and told us that he knows about the seven books," Amber began, "He wanted to know what was in them, but we wouldn't tell him. We were wondering if after you read each book he could read them."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment as if in deep thought.

"Do any of the books contain personal or emotional memories from his own life?"

"Yes," Katie and Brittany said together.

"I am not sure if letting him read the books is a wise idea. He may read things that he strongly dislikes and, well, the consiquences of this may be too horrible to think of."

"He may lose his temper, but I can promise that he won't get extremely angry until he reads the fifth book," Katie said.

"Then he can read the first four books after I have read them, and as far as the other three go, we shall see if his disposition towards many things changes," Dumbledore said with finality.

"And what types of things could these be?" a cold voice asked from the doorway behind the staff table. The four of them turned to see Severus Snape standing slightly inside the room, an ugly look upon his face.

"Severus, please understand that I mean to do what is best for you," Dumbledore started, a slight plea in his gentle voice.

"And am I not the one who has the greatest right to decide what is best for myself?" Snape threw at him.

Katie barely stifled a laugh; she had mentally asked that question after one of her family members tried to control her more times than she could remember.

"Whipe that smirk from your face this instant," Snape spat at her, "Five points from Gryffendor."

"Severus, perhaps I made a mistake in this area," said Dumbledore, "But please consider the impact this may have on many if you choose to read the books. Most of all, consider the impact this choice will have on you."

"I have considered this matter long enough. I will read each book after you have completed it."

"Very well then, Severus. Now, was there anything else you three wished to ask me?"

"Yes, two things," Katie said quickly, "I wanted to know if I could cook meals in the kitchens. I have always loved cooking, and I really miss doing it. I wouldn't bother the house elves at all; I'd almost make myself invisible. Can I please start cooking food for me, my friends, and whoever else might want to try it?"

"I see no problem with you using the kitchens, but will it conflict at all with your school work?"

"Oh no," Katie said confidently, "I get all of my homework done before dinner anyway."

"I will alert the house elves of your intentions tomorrow then. And what was the other question?"

"I was wondering if I could start a choir at Hogwarts. I took voice lessons for almost two years, I understand the theory behind musical composition, and I've been in numerous choirs for the past eight years. I have also heard that music helps students improve their learning skills. I'm not sure if the correlation is a true cause and effect relationship, but I figure it can't hurt people to learn it if they want to."

"This is a most excellent idea," said Dumbledore happily, "I will make an announcement at lunch tomorrow about students auditioning. I will also hang up flyers in the common rooms. Is there a day that is best for you?"

"Saturdays are definitely the best. If I get the choir together, our meetings will be on Saturday nights, probably at 7:00. What if we set the auditions for then so I can see who is able to come?"

"That sounds perfectly fine," said Dumbledore, "I will start working on this immediately. Do you three need anything else?"

"No, sir," Brittany said.

"Have a wonderful night then."

As the three girls left for their apartment, Snape turned to Dumbledore.

"A choir is typical and understandable for a naïve school girl, but why are you allowing a blind student to cook in the kitchens? A person with low vision in the midst of that mayhem?"

"Awe, but you've just said it, Severus. She is not completely blind; she has enough vision to allow her to easily find her way around all of th kitchen's dangers. Also, for some strange reason, I fancy she will prove to be a most excellent chef. I remember you telling me once, after I asked you why you hadn't touched anything on your plate, that you detested bland food. I have a feeling that this girl may just spice it up."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The door creaked loudly as she pushed it opened.

"Lumous."

The wand light flooded the room illuminating four rows of risers, a grand piano, a podium, and an elaborate sink-like machine that she was sure would spew out water if worked correctly. Sure enough, a tall stack of cups sat on a tiny spindle-legged table next to the contraption.

"It's a friggen mess in here," Brittany said in disgust.

"What are you talking about?' asked Katie, seeing nothing out of place.

"Everything's covered in dust."

"Well, it's a good thing we can use magic then. Scourgify."

An enormous cloud of dust gathered, nearly enveloping the two girls before it vanished.

"Good idea," said Brittany, "Now we can just set everything up."

They lit several lamps scattered throughout the room. Brittany sat at the piano and immediately began playing. Katie put a pad of lined paper and a pencil on the podium. She then noticed that one of the walls consisted of bookshelves filled with sheet music.

"Look at this, Brittany."

"What?"

"That wall over there," Katie answered pointing to her left.

"Oh my god! We've so gotta use some of this!"

Brittany ran over to the shelves and began perusing their contents.

"They should be coming any time now."

"I just hope you picked some good singers," Brittany said, "I wish I could have been at the auditions."

"You'll see who's coming in a few minutes."

About two minutes later, the door opened. The Pattil twins, Susan Bones, and a second year Ravenclaw girl walked in.

"Just sit anywhere for now. There will be specific places for you once I figure out what part you'll be singing."

The door opened again, and a crowd of people walked in: six Gryffendors, eleven Hufflepuffs, eighteen Ravenclaws, and a first year Slytherin girl. The ages spanned each year at Hogwarts.

"Ok, I think we're ready to start," Katie said in a voice raised high enough to carry over th din in the room. "So, I thought I would start this choir, because I absolutely love music. Whenever I hear a song, it instantly puts me in the mood the the artist wanted the listener to be in. The way the lyrics flow smoothly together with the accompanying instruments almost makes me go into a trance; I can't focus on anything else once I've decided to give myself over to the music. In a way, it kind of controls me. I love all types of music: rock, pop, R&B, rap, country, oldies, jazz, everything but opera. I've always thought about what it would be like to direct a choir, so I decided to start one for the people here who love music like I do. Also, if you know someone who loves music but can't sing, my friend Amber has gotten permission from Professor Dumbledore to start a symphonic band. These people can join it, or you can join it if you'd like. What I want to do first is figure out what parts each of you will sing. I have a list of your names, so I'm going to call each of you up to sing for me. Ian Abrams, you're first."

This part of the evening went smoothly. Each person was placed in one of eight sections: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, first and second for each. The members were fairly well scattered throughout the sections.

"There are a couple more sopranos than I would like, so are any first sopranos willing to sing alto? I know from hearing you sing that each of you is able to go low enough, so please volunteer if you can."

Two of the first sopranos raised their hands.

"That's perfect," said Katie smiling, "Thank you so much. I'd really like to have this choir give a Christmas concert, but since it's already the first Saturday in November, we don't really have time to work on a tone of songs. I've picked three songs that I sang in choirs a few years ago. So, here's the music."

Katie handed out the songs to each of the members, keeping a copy for herself and Brittany.

"I'd also like to introduce our piano accompanist, Brittnay Douglass."

Brittany flourished her hand in a dramatic wave as the choir members clapped for her.

"The order we'll be working on the songs in tonight is "Still Still Still", "Sleighbells", and "A Garlend of Carols". Can everyone please turn to page two in "Still Still Still"?"

The practice proceeded smoothly. Each voice had its own unique quality, yet they blended reasonably well for the first rehearsle.

"That was really good," said Katie when the last voice had faded into the silence. "I think we'll have a great concert. I want each of you to go home and practice the parts we worked on tonight. I'll want to hear them after our warm-ups next week, so I'll know if you did your "homework". After the Christmas concert, you won't have to practice at home since we'll have more time to work on the music for the next concert. That means this will only last a couple of months. Ok, great job. See you guys next week."

The group exited rather quickly due to the rapidly approaching curfew. Katie and Brittany stayed behind to tidy the room up a bit.

"I agree with all of your choices except Andrea Stemple. Her voice is too quiet and untrained."

"I know she's not the best, but she told me she's thinking of music as her career. I see a lot of potential in her; I think she's just very shy. Once she finds her voice, I think we're going to be amazed."

"Ok," Brittany said with a large amount of skepticism.

"Come on. We better get back to the apartment before 9:00 so Filch doesn't punish us."


	12. Chapter 12: Forced to Keep Secrets

Chapter 12

Forced to Keep Secrets

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes," he began slowly. "I have called you here for a very important reason. I wish for you to tell me all that you know of Professor Quirrel."

"Well, I really don't know much about him. I mean, I haven't even known him a year, and he's only me Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"You know in which way I'm am talking about," said Dumbledore impatiently.

Katie's heart sank; she had a feeling this moment would come. Dumbledore's curiosity almost always seemed to triumph over his other desires.

"You told me that you didn't want to know anything that happened in the books. I'm not answering this question. I'm sorry."

'Very well. Ms. Daniels, will you come in here please?"

"Oh, I see. So if I won't tell you, you'll just get the answers you want out of one of my friends. Well that's not gonna work. The three of us are pretty full of determination."

"This may be crucial to the well-being of the wizarding world. I will ask you once more-"

The office door opened cautiously. Amber stood just behind its frame, a questioning expression on her face.

"Awe, Ms. Daniels. It is lovely to see you."

"Thank you, sir," said Amber, her expression of wonder flitting instantly to one of pleasure.

"Don't let his flattery work on you,' said Katie hardly, "He's just trying to pump you for information on the books."

"Well, if that's true, I'm not answering any questions."

"Please, both of you must know that your answer could have a major impact on the entire wizarding world, possibly the muggle world as well."

"It will impact the wizarding world, but it has to happen," Amber stated firmly.

"You told us that you were a strong believer in fate. If that is true, you should accept that we are not going to tell you about the books," Katie argued.

Dumbledore sighed deeply. He could already tell that the forcefield of the three girls would not be broken this way. He would simply have to try other measures.

"Very well," he said pleasantly, "Thank you for your time. You may go now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sir," said Katie, her voice dripping with skepticism.

The two exited the office and made their way down the spiral staircase. When they reached the stone gargoil, they met Brittany.

"So, what'd he want?" she asked eagerly.

"He wanter to know about Quirrel. I think he's suspicious," said Katie.

"No, really," said Amber sarcastically.

"Shut up," Katie fired, slightly annoyed yet slightly amused.

Brittany laughed.

"Seriously though," Amber began, "We've got to keep quiet about this somehow."

"Um, do you think we should um," Brittany began, "well, make an Unbreakable Vow?"

"Hell no!" Katie said loudly, "What if one of us accidently tells about something really tiny and then ends up dying because of it. I'm not afraid of death, but I sure don't want to die in a stupid way like that."

"Yeah, making the vow is a really bad idea," Amber said.

"Ok, ok," Brittany relented, "Let's just go back to the apartment."

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"I want you to find out what is in those books, at least any part about Quirrel. Use only speech to persuade, no potions or spells. I feel that one of the three will respond favorably to that."

Snape sat stunned. Out of the many questions he had considered being asked by the headmaster, this was not one of them. And why was Dumbledore so certain that one of the girls would tell him of the books? If they had not told the headmaster, why would they tell the Potions professor?

"And what convinces you that they will reveal the secrets to me?" Snape asked fairly respectfully.

"I am confident. That is sufficient enough for now. Please do this for me Severus."

"Yes, Headmaster," said Snape with no enthusiasm.

"I wish for you to start as soon as possible, so please begin now; go to the apartment and stay up with them the entire night if you must."

Snape left the office, and headed in the direction of the apartment. For yet another time, he knocked on the door. Birttany answered.

"I would like to speak to the three of you together, now."

"Ok. Come in," said Brittany, holding the door open.

Snape entered the apartment and sat in a simple wooden chair cast off into the corner. Brittany left the room and returned shortly with the other two girls.

"I would like to know what is contained in the books, most importantly the portions disclosing information about Professor Quirrel. I do remember the bargain we made previously; however, the headmaster would dearly like theis information, so I will remain here as long as it takes for one of you to reveal the contents of the books to me."

"Like we told the headmaster, we are not going to say anything about what happens in the books. He told us that the information could affect the whole wizarding world, but the effect could be much worse if we told him," said Brittany.

"That's right," Katie added, "You can stay here as long as you want, but we're going to bed when we're tired, and we won't tell you anything no matter how long you stay."

"Mmmhmm," agreed Amber nad Brittany simultaneously.

Snape was infuriated. How many times had this happened, over and over again? Why would these three girls not obey authority? That was the trouble with youth: arrogance. All young people were absolutely positive that they were right about everything with not even one exception. He had had enough.

"Very well then," he snapped, "The three of you will come with me right now to see the headmaster."

"I think we can do that," said Brittany in a tone of boredom.

The four walked in silence to Dumbledore's office and climbed the spiral staircase that led to the wooden door. Snape knocked on it roughly.

"Enter," the familiar voice called.

Snape opened the door, and the three girls followed him in.

"What is it that you want to speak to me about?" asked Dumbledore, a slight glare directed towards Snape on his face.

"Well, sir," Katie began, deciding to speak in place of Snape. "We will not tell Professor Snape what is in those books, not under any circumstances. We told him that he could stay in our apartment for however long he wanted, but we would just continue on with our lives like nothing strange was going on. When he realized that we wouldn't give in unless we were magically forced to, he decided to take us to you."

"Is this true, Severus?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape confessed.

"If the next question out of my mouth concerns the welfare of something rather than events that occur in the books, will you answer it honestly?" Dumbledore asked the three girls.

"Yes," Brittany said confidently.

"Will the wizarding world be safe if all of the events in the first book are allowed to happen?'

"Yes," said Katie slowly, making sure that nothing from the first book affected the tragedy that would come in the books following the third.

"She is not telling the whole truth," Snape stated.

"Yes, I was," retorted Katie, immediately leaping to her own defense. "I was just making sure that I rememberd all of the events in the book correctly before I answered. I didn't want to lie."

"She is speaking the truth, Severus. Since what you say is true, I will drop the matter for now, but I do want to read the book the day that it is supposed to end with no exceptions. I want this condition to hold for each year. Is that clear?"

"Yes," said Amber.

"The three of you may go then."

Asthey headed back to the apartment, Brittany spoke.

"amber, you just told him that he could read each book the day it ended. You basically promised this, but what happens when he dies?'

"well, obviously we couldn't have brought that up," said Katie, "He wouldn't have understood unless we told him everything. We can tell him about his death at Christmas during sixth year. Then he will have already discussed it with Snape. He can decide what to do about finishing the books after that point."

"Ok, but I still don't like this situation," said Brittany apprehensively.

"Well it's too late now,' Amber began heatidly.

"Come on. Let's just go back to the apartment and go to bed," said Katie, trying to stop a fast-coming argument.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You stopped your questioning rather quickly," observed Snape.

"Yes well, I wasn't extremely interested in the wording of the answers, more their tone and expression."

"Why?" aksed Snape.

"Oh Severus, I was merely testing their wills. I know that the Quirrel situation will turn out just fine, but I have a strong feeling that many events to come will test my curiosity greatly. I wanted to make sure that these girls would not reveal the books' contents to me no matter what the circumstances. I am sorry I had to take some of your time, Severus, but I did need to make my performance convincing."

"I see your manipulatin tactics have not died out," Snape commented bitterly.

"Severus, working for the greater good is my ultimate goal. If that involves a bit of harmless manipulation, I will by all means employ it."

"No, your ways have not changed at all," Snape stated angrily.

"Just watch, Severus. Everything will work out in the end."

Snape walked back to his dungions wondering just how much scheming the headmaster would have to do before his death. He was getting older, yet he seemed healthy enough. Perhaps his death would prove to be some sort of a blessing if it came sooner rather than later, especially considering how close the headmaster was emotionally to Lily's son. What exactly would Dumbledore do to him over his seven year period at Hogwarts?


	13. Chapter 13: The Christmas Concert

Chapter 13

The Christmas Concert

The high wooden doors opened, and the students bustled in. The first thing that was visible was a beautifully decorated Christmas tree adorned with twinkling lights, shiny bulbs, and a glittering golden star perched upon its highest vertex. Then the entire hall came into view. The tables were covered with dishes of fancy and gourmet foods—some cooked by the house elves, others by Katie. Faux snow fell from the enchanted ceiling, melting before it could hit anything. Angel orniments hung from the brackets that usually held torches, and the candle holders all had Christmas bows and holly tied to their bases.

"Let's find a place to sit," said Amber.

The three girls headed for the Gryffendor table where they found three seats near the end of one of the long benches.

"So we're going to eat quickly and then get ready?" aksed Brittany.

"Yes," answered Katie.

Lunch passed quickly as planned. Each course would have been quite memorable under normal circumstances, but Katie was nervous. She had never done this before.

"Come on. We've got to go now," Brittany muttered.

Katie and Brittany got up and headed out of the entrance hall. They met the rest of the choir just outside of the wooden doors.

"Ok, guys," Katie began in a hushed tone, "We go on in five minutes. Just do the best that you can. None of you have anything to worry about; I chose each of you, because I knew how good you were. Plus, you'll all be singing together, so even if you do make a mistake, it is very unlikely anyone will notice. Now, please be pretty quiet, because I think Dumbledore is going to speak."

Sure enough, about twenty-three seconds later, the old, calm voice could be heard drifting through the heavy doors. Eventally, the speech came to an end.

"And now," Dumbledore started enthusiastically, "For your listening pleasure, I would like to present, performing for the first time, our school choir!"

Brittany opened the doors and walked confidently in. She was followed closely by Katie who took her place in front of the risers on the stage that had been set up for them earlier that day. Brittany plopped down on the piano bench and flourished her hands dramatically over the keys. The choir clumsiliy took their positions on the risers. Katie was not disappointed by this in the slightest; she had never seen it done gracefully after all. Once the members had settled themselves, Katie turned to her enlarged sheet music. She put one hand in the air, ready to give Brittany the needed cue. After a couple of tense seconds, she motioned for Brittany to start playing. This part she knew would go smoothly; Brittany Douglass was a highly accomplished pianist. The beautiful accompaniment to "Still Still Still" blossomed from the ancient instrument as Brittany's fingers found their correct places with a fluidity that was rarely achieved by most. Then it came time to bring in the choir. Katie took a deep, slightly apprehensive, breath and moved her right hand. The practices had indeed helped. What before had been a nice but unorganized jumble of voices was now blended nearly perfectly to form the soft melody and harmonic undertones needed in this aria-like musical piece. The members were indeed considering the emotionality of the song as they inhaled the needed air and exhaled each bit of it with a carefully chosen note. It sounded better than Katie had ever heard it in the few practices they had had before the concert. She could not have asked for them to do a better job.

The first song came to an end with its humming decrichendo. There were a few seconds of extremely tense silence. And then, the audience burst forth with thunderous applause and cheering. Nearly every person, excluding some sour-faced Slytherins, stood as the applause mounted. Katie's heart immediately began to swell with a rarely felt fierce surge of pride. She knew the next two pieces would go smoothly as well.

"Sleighbells" was a faster, Russian Christmas carol. The choir sang with an intensity that the song longed for. When it ended, the audience's response was the same one of pure delight that was seen before.

"A Garlond of Carols" was a rather long medly of familiar Christmas songs. The challenge with this song was that it was full of tempo changes and relied on dynamics. Yet the choir that had only had a couple of months to practice managed to pull it off. Its end was met with a standing ovation. Katie then had her choir bow, and the audience cheered madly.

"We did it," she said to Brittany who had come to stand by her side.

"Well of course we did it," Brittany said indignantly.

"Thank you so much for that spectacular performance," Dumbledore beamed at the choir, "Now, we will be having Christmas pudding in an hour, so in the mean time, I would like you all to come up and talk to these people and congradulate them on a job well done."

Katie felt her cheeks grow hot, yet she was pleased all the same. She watched as a swarm of students made to engulf the stage in their eagerness. She stood back, merely being a spectator as she had always preferred.

"Hey, blind girl," a harsh female voice spoke behind her.

Katie turned to see a girl with the most unique hair she had ever seen standing behind her. The portion of her hair that rested against her neck was a firey copper, the bottom outer layer was a platinum blonde, and the top was a chocolate brown. The thick mass of it hung down straight and long with no trace of bangs. Her hazel eyes hid behind black oval-shaped glasses. She wore a pink halter top and blue jeans that hugged her frame tightly.

"Yeah," Katie answered.

"What the hell are you tryin' to do to us?" she spat at Katie.

"What are you talking about?" Katie asked baffled.

"I'm talkin' about that fuckin' singin' bullshit. If I had to listen to that crap for another fuckin' second, I think I'd blow chunks."

"I'm sorry you didn't like it," Katie said, trying to keep her rising temper in check.

"Didn't like it?" she said incredulously, "That's the fuckin' understatement of the year. That shit sucked more than a prostitute on a good night. You just need to stop with this choir crap."

"Oh ok," Katie began, deciding instantly to throw her calm demeanor out the window, "Well if I need to stop my choir than you need to control your mouth. I mean, there's a difference between swearing for emphasis and just acting like classless trailer trash."

"I don't fuckin' care what you gotta say to me. I'm gonna keep don' shit like I've been doing it for my hole fuckin' life. You just need to fuckin' change yourself, you know? Everything from your stupid clothes, to your ugly ass hair, to your fuckin' choir has gotta go."

"What is your problem?" Katie asked in exasperation.

"You're my fuckin' problem, bitch," she yelled.

The girl with the tricolored hair swung back her first ready to throw a hard punch. Katie reacted instinctively. Muttering a few choice words under her breath, Katie pointed her right index finger at the girl. The girl was immediately thrown back several feet landing in a heap off of the stage. This got the attention of everyone in the area.

"Whoa! What happened?" a fourth year Ravenclaw asked.

"That stupid bitch did it," the girl screamed.

"She did nothing," a cold male voice stated, "You simply fell off of the stage. Everyone clear off. There is nothing to see here. Ms. Insche," Snape added in an undertone, "Come with me, now."

Katie followed Snape into the small room tucked behind the staff table. There they met Dumbledore.

"I did not see the entire confrontation, but I saw enough to know that Ms. Swift did not just fall off of the stage," Snape began firmly, "Tell me what you did to make her fly backward."

"Ms. Swift?" Katie asked.

"The girl's name is Billy Swift," Snape informed impatiently, "Do not try to turn this conversation away from the subject at hand. Now, tell me."

"I don't know how I did it. I just remember thinking that she was going to hit me hard and that I didn't want it to happen. I swear to you, I don't know how she fell."

"She speaks the truth, Severus," Dumbledore said, "Please, leave us now. Put this matter from your mind for now."

"You expect me to walk away from this, to just pretend that nothing has happened?"

"Yes, Severus. I do."

"Very well then," Snape shot icily.

He turned quickly and left the room.

"Ms. Insche," Dumbledore began seriously, "How many times has this type of situation happened? I mean to say, how often do you find yourself seemingly performing magic without the actual memory of doing so?"

"I really don't know," Katie answered honestly after a pause to think, "I know I've done it before, but I'm not sure how many times. Why?"

"That I cannot tell you right now," Dumbledore said calmly, "If my suspicions are correct, you will know one day, but it would be dangerous for you to know at this time. The one thing I can tell you is to try not to encourage the taunting of Billy Swift."

"Who is she?" Katie asked, her curiosity about this matter trumping that concerning her previous question.

"She is a first year Slytherin. She was disabled as a child; the left side of her body does not work as well as most do. She treats you so, because she sees how accepted you are here. She longs for the same acceptance. The best thing you can do is to try to be nice to her; show her that you can be nice to people even when no one else is. If she begins to strike you, let her hit. It will end faster that way. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Katie answered, thinking of how often she had heard this advice.

"Good. Now," Dumbledore said with renewed happiness, "Why don't you go back out there and finish listening to the congratulations of your peers."

Katie walked back into the Great Hall contemplating what a strange thing had happened on Christmas. She would not think of it anymore on this day. Today was her savior's birthday; she would not let one small incident ruin her mood of celebration on such a special day.


	14. Chapter 14: Handing it over

Chapter 14

Handing it over

_The smallest sliver of sun was beginning to peak over the horizon when he reached the house. Although he had not yet heard the final report, he knew; he knew because he was now aware of their hiding place, even though no one had told him of it. As he neared the old dwelling, he saw the signs of the confrontation. Taking a deep breath he decided to stick to his original plan and enter the place. There was no need to open the front door, for it now lay splintered, serving as a partial blockade for the entrance. Not wanting to use magic, he cautiously walked over it, hearing a slight cracking sound under his feet. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light cast on the front room by a single nearly-spent cnadle, he saw a terrible sight. In front of the staircase—which in itself was missing the upper half of its railing—the living room sofa lay on its side with stuffing ooxing from a rip in its back. The two end tables were now scattered in pieces across the room. Curtains had been carelessly torn from their windows, which were covered in stars and cracks. Fragments of broken china knickknacks that had surely belonged to her were strewn across the pluch carpeting._

_Not wanting to examine the rest of the lower level, he walked around the sofa in order to make his way up the stairs. Though it was something that had flitted across his mind many times in his recent youth, he was still shocked to see the corpse; though the body was face-down, he knew instantly who it was. Apprehension seaping into every cranny of his body, he made his way toward the only room where the door stood ajar. It was then when he heard the screaming. Horrible cries of desperate need reached his ears, filling him with a sense of utter horror._

_Gnashing his teeth in determination, he kicked the door open. He knew right then that he would never be able to shake off the sight that next met his eyes._

_It was her._

_A few strands of red hair were still plastered to her face, held in place by the tracks of tears that were still damp upon her cheeks. In a daze he walked to her still form. She had fallen in a strange position; it looked quite uncomfortable. With the utmost care, he knelt beside her and moved her limbs into what could have been a sleeping position, but there would be no waking from this sleep._

_Then the tears came, slow at first, then hot, quick, bitter. He was dimly aware of how loud his sobs were, but only because the baby's eyes had landed upon him. The boy had finally stopped crying at the living presence that had entered the room. He didn't care though. Nothing mattered anymore. He was too filled with the pain of losing the only person who had ever cared for him, the only one who had ever given a damn._

_He tenderly gathered her to his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. He buried his face in her hair, thinking with another stab of pain that this would be the last time he would ever smell the sweet scent of plumeria that always seemed to linger there. Never again. Never would his life have meaning, a purpose. All was lost now._

_Suddenly, he heard a noise outside. Laying the body down carefully, he made his way to the window to see who it was._

"_Black," he spat in complete disgust._

_Realizing quickly the implications of what he saw, he bent down over the body. He lowered his lips to her, ready to give her a first and final kiss._

His eyes flew opened. His heart was racing and sweat clung to his thin form. He then noticed that the sheet and thin blanket that had covered him were now twisted and coming loose from the end of the mattress.

Severus Snape layed back down. How many times had his memories become this dream? Yes, it had happened before, but it had never been this vivid, this real, this life-like. At least he was finally awake. He refused to indulge in his memories of pain any longer; he would have to put them from his mind for now.

Today was the day afterall. The year was finally over, and the girls were going to give Dumbledore the first book. They had said it was the shortest one, so it would be only a matter of a day, or perhaps a few hours, before he himself could read it. He would need to focus on the events that occurred there rather than letting his teaming memories mar his first impressions.

He threw back his covers hastily and stood up. He was determined to read that book as soon as possible.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Pleas, come in," the kind old voice called.

Amber opened the office door, a big smile planted on her face.

"Here it is," she said.

"Godd! Good," Dumbledore beamed, "Does this book tell of the Quirrel situation?"

"Yes,' Brittany said.

"But that's all we're saying for now," Katie teased, "You'll just have to read it to find out the rest of the story."

"Oh very well,' Dumbledore smiled good-naturedly, "Which of you owns the copy of this book?'

"I do," Amber answered.

"Do you mind if I give it to Professor Snape when I have finished it?"

"No, not at all,' Amber answered honestly.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said with enthusiasm, "Thank you all very much."

"You're welcome," Katie said.

"Hope you like the book," Brittany added as they headed toward the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Enter," Snape called in his usual cold voice.

"Well, Severus, here it is," said Dumbledore handing Snape the book, "I'm sorry I have come at this late hour, but I figured you would wwant the book as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Severus said respectfully.

"I know rhat you will enjoy this. It puts the events of the past year in a completely different light."

"I will try to finish it as soon as possible, but I do have to give Ms. Insche an Occlumency lesson at 2:00 pm tomorrow. I still do not understand why you are insisting that her lessons continue. Ms. Daniels has almost completely mastered the art, and Ms. Douglass is making a great deal of progress. But Ms. Insche is hopeless. These is no difference between her current skill level and that she showed in her first lesson."

"I know, Severus, but you must continue. After all, the lessons are not hurting anyone."

"Perhaps," Snape sneared skeptically.

"Well then, Severus, I'll leave you to read. Goodnight."

With that Dumbledore walked out of the dungeon office, and Snape turned to chapter one, ready to devour each of the book's exquisite passages.


	15. Chapter 15: Summer

Chapter 15

Summer

"Come on, give it back," Katie whined.

Brittany just laughed, holding the CD even higher over Katie's head. Katie, noticing the opening Brittnay had left, reached her hand towards Brittany's side to start tickling her. But Amber reached Katie first.

"No!" Katie yelled as she threw her arms down to stop Amber's tickling.

"Alright, an ally!" Brittany cried, "Come on, let's get her."

Brittany and Ambeer picked up pillows and started to attack Katie. Katie, finding no pillow to defend herself with, ran toward the apartment door.

"Oh no you don't!" Amber yelled. She threw her small pillow at Katie.

Unfortunately, it missed her. Instead it hit a cup of water that Brittany had left on the end table. The plastic cup flew into the air, and smacked into Katie's right cheek creating a dark bruise. The water sloshed out of the cup, soaking her clothing.

"Hey! That hurt!" Katie glared at Amber. "You are so gonna get it now!"

With that, she used her wand to conjur a hose.

"Oh shit!" Brittany screamed, knocking Katie aside so that she could make it out of the apartment.

"Wait for me," Amber called.

"Get back here!" Katie roared chasing them with the hose.

As they left the apartment, the hose began to pour out water. Katie ran with it after Amber and Brittany, trying to hit them with the stream of cool water. She saw the two run down a nearby staircase that was on the way to the Great Hall. When she finally reached the bottom, she just made out Brittany's right leg flying down another staircase that led to the dungeons. She sprinted towards the stairs, wanting to get her well-earned revenge.

"What the-" Snape began as the girls came running toward him.

As soon as they saw Snape, Brittany and Amber scidded to a hault.

"Gotcha!" Katie cried triumphantly.

She then sprayed the two girls with the hose. She looked up, laughing insanely only to choke on her laughter at the sight of Snape.

"Really, Ms. Insche," Snape spat coldly, "You claim to be twenty years old, yet your actions do not confirm it. I would take points from Gryffendor, but as it is summer, this cannot be done. However, you and your friends will clean up every droplet of these puddles of water. You will also help Mr. Filch when he returns to clean up the castle a week before the next term begins. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Katie said, a deep blush coloring her pale cheeks.

"Good. Now I expect all of you to act like adults from this point onward. After all, this is a school, not a zoo that houses wild animals. I would like to give this back to you Ms. Daniels."

Severus stretched his arm towards Amber, trying to hand her the first book.

"Thank you," Amber said as she took the book from him.

"What did you think of it?" asked Brittany eagerly.

'It was quite, interesting," Snape sneared slowly.

"What do you mean by interesting?" Brittany asked intrigued.

"I mean that the book shows just how idiotic our _hero_ Mr. Potter truly is," Snape said silkily.

Katie was torn between laughing at his insult and sticking up for a boy who had been placed in unfortunate circumstances. She decided on neither; instead she stood looking at Snape with no expression.

"I suggest the three of you return to your apartment before you cause any more trouble. But first, clean this mess up the muggle way. And Ms. Insche, if you would put as much effort into practicing Occlumency as that you put into engaging in childish antics, perhaps you would make a small bit of progress. Then again, given your current lack of ability, perhaps not."

This time, Katie faced no dilemma about how to reaction. But before she could so much as open her mouth, Snape had turned on his heals and strode back to his quarters.

"Damn, that was unnecessary," Brittany commented.

"Tell me about it," Katie muttered through clenched teeth.

"Come on," Amber said grimly, "Let's just clean this up."

The girls began mopping up the huge puddles left by the hose. They did not speak as this could make the task go by slower. Katie thought of Snape's reaction to the book. Of course he wouldn't have liked it. Not only did it revolve around Harry Potter, but it also made Snape look like a horrible, guilty man. At least he was given a bit of redemption at the end when Quirrel told Harry that Snape tried to save his life. No wonder Snape was so bitter today. But then again, wouldn't he have been a lot meaner to them than he was. Maybe he didn't have the energy after reading so much in a short period of time? Somehow though, Katie didn't believe this explanation. Then what was it? He had still insulted and scolded, but it lacked something, something like… She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew that Severus Snape was not treating them as he would normally do. The question remaining was why.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Severus Snape returned to his office, he poured himself a cup of strong, black coffe. He sipped at the steaming liquid, hoping that it would slowly ease his feelings of bitterness towards Harry Potter.

"_That stupid boy thought that I was evil. He actually thought that I would try to kill him and that I was working for the Dark Lord."_

Severus knew that no matter how much he hated the boy, he could never kill him. After all, he was her son.

Snape sank into his leather sofa wondering what misguided notions the boy would have about him in the next book. He also hoped for at least a few more bits of information about the only one he would ever love.


	16. Chapter 16: Crashes and Ditches

Chapter 16

Crashes and Ditches

After a long summer of Occlumency lessons and an even longer week of cleaning with Mr. Filch, Katie was actually ready for the next term to start. She figured that the students would arrive in about an hour.

After about forty-five minutes, the three girls headed to the Great Hall for the start of term feast.

"So are you still gonna go?" asked Amber.

"Of course,' Katie answered, "I really wanna watch this."

"Well you better head out there now," said Brittany, glancing at her watch, "It's almost time."

"Ok, thanks," Katie said.

She walked towards the front doors instead of accompanying the other two into the Great Hall. She wlked briskly across the grounds, making her way to the Whomping Willow. There were two trees nearby that she figured would hide her well enough. She planted herself behind them, watching for the flying Ford Anglia.

And then it came. It dropped faster and faster gaining velocity every second due to the overwhelming pull of the earth's gravity. It was even more terrifying to watch it this way than it was in the book. Somehow, at least in this case, reading about it was just not as powerful as seeing it. The car neared the tree, and Katie stuck her fingers into her ears. It didn't help much though; the crash made the tree nearest to her shake and her head pound for a few agonizing seconds. Momentum could be an evil reality.

Then the tree began to hit the car. This was even more interesting to Katie than the crash. She could faintly hear Harry and Ron's screams as their doors were squished inward by the tree's massive fists.

Finally it all stopped. Harry and Ron were ejected from the car along with their ludgage. As they made their way to the window of the Great Hall, Katie followed them to watch the commical scene she knew would occur next. Sure enough, Severus Snape quietly approached the two. They began the discussion of where he went, and Katie barely stifled her laugh as he scared the two boys with his smooth suggestion. She then waited for them to enter the castle so that she would not be detected. She waited a couple of minutes longer and then enetered the castle herself. She walked into the Great Hall and sat down next to Amber and Brittany.

"So was it as funny as you thought it would be?" Brittany asked.

"Yes, it was hilarious," said Katie smiling.

They finished eating and were about to leave for their apartment when a voice spoke behind them.

"Ms. Insche, I would like a word with you."

Katie turned to see Snape standing at the staff table waiting for her to come over.

'I'll see you guys in a few minutes," Katie told her friends. She then walked over to the staff table.

"I want to know why you were outside with Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley," Snape demanded as soon as she reached the table.

"Well, I kind of knew that they would be out there," she said deciding to leave it at that.

"Really," Snape said icily, "Then why did you not warn an adult that the boys' lives may possibly have been in danger?"

"Um, well," Katie began finally deciding that there was no way around it, "That scene is in the second book. I just wanted to watch it for myself."

"That still gives you no right to be outside of the castle at this hour. Ten points from Gryffendor." Snape smirked at the surprised look on Katie's face. "Now go straight back to yioour apartment."

Katie walked back to her friends.

"What did he want?" Amber asked.

"He just wanted to know why I was out there. And he took ten points from Gryffendor for me being out after hours."

"That's stupid," Brittany said indignantly.

"I know, but from Snape that was pretty reasonable," Katie replied, "The weird thing is, I have no idea how he knew I was out there in the first place."

"He might have seen you," Brittany mused, "I mean, he spends a lot of time in his dark dungeon and office, so maybe his eyes are a little more used to the dark than Harry's and Ron's."

"That's probably true," Katie said convinced.

"I am so not ready for Lockheart's class tomorrow," Amber groaned as they reached the apartment.

"I'm not either," Katie smiled, "That's why I'm not going."

"What do you mean?" Brittany asked.

"I'm ditching the class. It's not like we're going to learn anything that will ever help us. You've read the books. You should ditch with me."

"Ok, ditching classes in high school was one thing," Brittany started, "But ditching at Hogwarts? That's just like asking for someone to catch us."

"Even if we do get caught, we're adults. It's not like they can force us to go to class. Plus, we're still going to all of the other classes."

"I don't know," Amber said, "It just doesn't sound like a good idea."

"Well I'm still doing it," Katie said stubbornly.

"What if Snape catches you?" Amber asked.

"Yeah," Brittany chipped in, "After what happened this evening, he definitely won't be happy."

"He's never happy to begin with," said Katie, "And even if he takes more points from Gryffendor, we can win them back."

"Well, you do it if you want to, but we're going to class," Brittany stated firmly.

"Definitely,' confirmed Amber.

"That's fine," Katie said kindly, "You two do what you want."

She truly wasn't trying to convince them to avoid Lockheart's class; she was just trying to explain why she didn't want to go and why skipping the class would do no harm. Fortunately, her friends knew her well enough to understand this.

After an hour or so of conversation, the girls went to their bedrooms to sleep for the night. Katie stayed up later than the other two as the only class she would have to concentrate on the next day was Herbology.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The bell that signaled the end of break rang loudly through the castle and its grounds.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come to class?" Brittany whispered to Katie.

"Positive," she said outloud.

"Ok, see you later then," Amber whispered.

"Bye," Katie replied.

Brittany and Amber walked toward the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom. Katie watched them retriet, and decided to head back to the apartment. She started to walk up the marble staircase when a new portrait caught her eye. She went to examin it; it featured a well-proprtioned yet big-boned woman with long, straight hair and dark eyes. She wore a simple, flattering white dress and a white pearl choker. A blissful smile was planted upon her face. The odd thing was the backdrop. Most of the portraits at Hogwarts had solid-colored or very plane backgrounds, but in this portrait the woman seemed to be standing in front of a large, gothic window in some sort of cathedral. The walls surrounding the window were painted with a flowing intricate pattern that complimented them greatly. Somehow the scene looked familiar to Katie, yet she couldn't quite tell why…

"Ms. Insche."

Katie jumped fiercely at the known voice that she heard directly behind her. She turned to find herself only about a foot away from Severus Snape.

"And why are you not in class?" he asked smoothly.

"I'm not ever going to Lockheart's classes," Katie answered firmly, "I've read about them in the books, and they are nothing but a waste of time. All he does is has the class take quizzes on himself and have them reinact scenes from his _greatest accomplishments_. I definitely have better things to do with my time."

"You will return to class immediately. It is absolutely forbidden for you to miss classes unless you are ill."

"Why?" Katie asked, "I mean, I never volunteered to come to this school, and I don't really care if I learn how to use magic or not. For all I know, I could go back to being a muggle tomorrow. And even if I did care about improving my magical abilities, it's not like Lockheart's class would help me at all. As long as I'm going to all of my other classes and not disrupting anyone while I skip Lockheart's, why does it matter if I miss it or not?"

Snape was shocked. This girl had actually produced a fairly decent argument.

"I shall speak to the headmaster about your actions. He can come to a decision as to what your punishment will be," Snape sneared in triumph, "Tell me, why are you staring at your own portrait? If you are that obsessed with looking at yourself, why do you not just conjur a mirror?"

"What do you mean by my portrait?" Katie asked, completely baffled.

"This picture is of you. Or at least, if it is not you then it is surely one of your relatives."

Katie looked again at the picture. Sure enough, now that someone had told her, she could see that this was a picture of her in her twenties. She had never seen herself at this age, but she had been close enough to it when she had left the muggle world that she could see she was probably no more than ten years older than she had been then.

"This is me,' she said to herself.

"Obviously," Snape spat, startling Katie out of her revelry.

"But how did you know that it was me? You've only seen me at this age."

"Ms. Insche," Snape began steadily, "I truly did not believe that you could prove yourself to be more dense than you already appear in your Occlumency lessons, but it seems I was apparently mistaken. I have seen memories of yours in the Occlumency lessons that showed me what you looked like when you were around age twenty."

"But in this picture, I'm older than that. I've never been older than that in any world. Also, I've never seen the building that I'm in, and I've never owned clothes like that. How could someone have painted this?"

"You have never seen the building before?" Snape asked curiously.

"No," Katie replied simply.

"You need to come with me now to see the headmaster. We can discuss this portrait and your deviant behavior."

The two of them made their way to the spiral staircase that led to Dumbledore's office. Snape knocked on the wooden door.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice called from within the circular room.

Snape opened the door and strode in leaving Katie to follow. She did only to see Snape heading straight for Dumbledore.

"Headmaster," Snape began, "This girl has refused to attend Defense against the Dark Arts classes. I told her that it was against the rules for her to miss them without a legitimate reason, but she still refused to respect authority."

"Why are you not attending your classes, Ms. Insche?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"I'm only skipping Professor Lockheart's. I've read about them in the books, and he does not teach anything of use to anyone. As I am an adult, I don't really think that I absolutely have to attend every class. As long as I'm quiet and keep to myself during the class, I don't see why it matters whether or not I go."

"There really is no reason for you to attend this class. In that you are correct. I will give you and your friends permission to miss it, but you must attend all other classes unless you have a reasonable excuse. The skills you will learn there may prove crucial later on."

"But Headmaster," Snape started, "What will the other students think when Ms. Insche and her frieds do not appear in this class? How will it be explained to them?"

"We can simply tell them that they are in a more advanced class. They do not need to know about the permission I have granted."

"But why are you granting it in the first place?" Snape asked exasperatedly.

"Because Ms. Insche and her friends are technically adults. We cannot force rules on them unless their non-compliance could harm another. In this case, no harm will be inflicted. Was there anything else that either of you wished to speak to me about?"

"_How does he always seem to know that there is something else?"_ Katie asked herself.

"Yes," Katie answered, "In the entrance hall there is a new portrait and it's of me. I'm in my mid to late twenties, and I'm wearing clothes that I've never seen before. I'm also in some kind of church that I've never been to. Do you know what this means?"

"I wasn't even aware that a new portrait had been placed in the entrance hall," Dumbledore said shocked, "I do not see how this is possible, because when any new portrait is hung, a memo comes directly to the Headmaster's office. I have received no memo concerning it. It is impossible for anyone to hang the portrait without the headmaster getting the memo. This is an entirely new phenomenon. I may have a theory, but since it presents absolutely no danger, I would prefer to keep it to myself for now. Are there any more questions?"

"No," Katie said slowly, knowing that Dumbledore would not explain the situation further. Snape seemed to know this too, bedcause he remained silent.

"Very well then. Severus, please walk Ms. Insche back to her apartment so that no one will question why she is walking through the corridors during her class."

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape submitted.

The two left Dumbledore's office. They walked in complete silence, yet the company proved to be a comfort to Katie. Snape was unreadable, lost in his own thoughts. When they reached the apartment, Snape left her without a word.


	17. Chapter 17: Thankful for Glasses

Chapter 17

Thankful for Glasses

"Do you hear that?" Katie asked.

"Hear what?" Brittnay said skeptically.

"I don't know. It sounds like something's moving in the walls or something."

"What?" Amber laughed.

It was finally Halloween. The three girls were enjoying their food at the feast; luckily, they had not been invited to Nearly Headless Nick's death day party.

"No, really," Katie pleaded, "Something is in the walls."

"She's right," Brittany said quietly.

"You mean you hear it too?" Katie asked desperately.

"No, but I know what it is," Brittany lowered her voice to a whisper, "It's the basilisk."

"But why can I hear it? I mean, I'm definitely not a horcrux."

"Yeah, that is kind of weird," Amber pondered.

"Oh wow I just thought of something," Katie said hurridly, "We've all got to wear our glasses."

"You're right," Amber commented.

"Why do we have to wear our glasses?" Brittany asked.

"Because that way we can't look the basilisk directly in the eyes. We'll just see them through our lenses," Amber explained.

"But if that was true then why did Harry not want to look it in the eye?" Brittany asked in desperation.

"Because," Katie started, "If he had looked the snake in the eye, he would have been petrified and Riddle would have come fully out of the diary killing Ginny."

"She's right," Amber said, "You better start wearing your glasses."

"But I hate those stupid things," Brittany whined, "They make me look so ugly."

"You don't need anything else to make you look any damn uglier," a voice chimed in behind them. The three turned to see Billy Swift standing there.

"What do you want?" Amber asked coldly.

"I was just walking by and I heard that bitch talking about wearing her glasses. See, not every chick can pull that shit off. I can do it, but that's only because I'm fuckin' hot. The blind girl can do it, because she'd be running into shit all the time if she didn't. You can sort of pull it off, because you've been wearing them for so damn long. But this bitch is so fuckin' ugly already. Why the hell would she make it any worse?"

Katie was furious. Brittany was one of the most naturally beautiful people she knew. Dumbledore had told her to be kind to Billy Swift, but he had said nothing about Brittany. Hopefully she would stick up for herself.

"Excuse me," Brittany began heatedly, "You are so not one to tell me about being ugly. I mean how old are you, twelve? And you're trying to dress like you're not only eighteen, but an eighteen year old slut. You know, I could be mad at you right now, but I actually feel sorry for you."

"What the hell ever bitch," Billy said loudly, "I don't need your fuckin' pity." And with that, she strode off without a backward glance.

"What the heck?" Amber asked.

"Well, she has issues with people feeling sorry for her because of her disability," Katie started to explain, "She thought that Brittany felt sorry for her because of it, and since she's so touchy about it to begin with, she probably got really sad about that comment."

"Well I was just defending myself," Brittany started hotly.

"Oh no," Katie began quickly, "That's not what I meant. I don't think you said anything wrong. I was just explaining her reaction."

"That girl is really weird," Amber said, "I mean, you told us what Dumbledore told you after the Christmas concert, but there is no reason for her to treat us so badly. It seems like there's something else there. Like maybe a bad home life or something."

"I don't think it's a bad hojme life," Katie, the future psychologist, tried to analyze, "I think she's trying to impress someone."

"What do you mean?" Brittany asked.

"Have you noticed that the only times she has bothered us are when Draco Malfoy is close by. I think she likes him, and so she's trying to show him how tough she can be."

"That's a pretty crazy theory, Katie," Amber said skeptically, "Maybe it's true, but since she's only been around us two times, I don't think that's enough evidence."

"You're right," Katie agreed, "But you never know. I don't think it's a bad home life mainly because she only seeks the three of us out to bother. Also, she's walked by us a couple of times before and hasn't said anything, but that was when Malfoy wasn't around. I mean, I could totally be wrong, but it just kind of seems like she likes Malfoy."

"Ew," Brittany said in disgust. She had always preferred the dark and mysterious types to the blond pretty boys. Katie smiled at this, knowing exactly how Brittany felt.

"Oh come on," Ambe said, "He's not too bad looking. He's definitely a coward and a daddy's boy, but he's pretty cute."

"Yuck," Kaite mimicked Brittany's sentiments, "Even if I liked that kind of physical appearance, it's Malfoy. I don't think I can ever find a person like that attractive, even though he ended up being one of the good guys."

The girls continued their discussion of their favorite types of men until they had finished eating. They got up from the Gryffendor table, and followed the crowd back toward the apartment. They stopped about a third of the way there while the crowd examined the scene in front of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Brittany and Amber pushed their way forward to see the scene better, but Katie had no desire to see a hanging, nearly dead cat. After a few seconds Malfoy made his "mudblood" remark, and Billy laughed heartily. Eventually, Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers came to see what was going on. They told the students to go back to their common rooms, so the three headed for the apartment.

"Ok, ok," Brittany relented, "I'll wear my stupid glasses if they stop me from dying."


	18. Chapter 18: Braces

Chapter 18

Braces

The second year Gryffendors and Slytherins walked to their Wednesday afternoon Potions class. Katie was feeling strange today, though she could not figure out why. It wasn't like being ill; it was more like an apprehension. But about what? Everything had been going as normally as it possibly can at a school for witches and wizards. The only things that were not to Katie's liking at the moment were the basilisk petrifications that she knew would stop eventually and her lack of Occlumency success. She was used to the latter however; she doubted she would ever achieve this now almost coveted skill. No matter what means she used, she could not shake the feeling.

The students entered Snape's classroom and took their seats at their usual tables. Snape began talking about the many uses of flux weed. Katie had already read and taken notes on this section in her book, so she focused more on her own thoughts than on what Snape was saying. He would occasionally mention a fact that was not in her textbook, so she would write it down without really thinking about it. The feeling inside her grew as the lesson progressed. Eventually, Snape set them the task of making a hair color changing solution for red hair. As Katie was unpacking her potion ingrediants, a sharp pain coursed through her mount.

"Ow," she cried out.

'What happened?" Amber asked concerned.

"I just had this bad pain go through my mouth," Katie said, sticking her finger inside her mouth to feel her teeth. Her teeth! She had not expected this, but now she remembered.

"Oh my god!" Brittany yelled loud enough for the class to hear, "You have braces!"

Everyone looked at the three girls.

"Ms. Douglass," Snape began coldly, "Please explain your ridiculous outburst."

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape," Branttany said quietly, "It's just, Katie has braces."

"What are you talking about, Ms. Douglas?" Snape asked annoyed.

"Well, she didn't have braces when she came into class, but for some reason now she has them."

"As fascinating as that is, I expect you to refrain from interrupting my classes in the future. Five points from Gryffendor." With that, Snape went back to his desk and the class resumed its potion making.

When the class was over, the students walked out together.

"Shit," Billy said loudly in order to get everyone's attention, "Now the mudblood bitch is even fuckin' uglier." She waited for some of the slytherins to laugh before she continued. "Maybe she'll get petrified next, but it would be fuckin' better if the bitch died."

Katie lost it. Wishing pain to come to someone was one thing, but for a twelve year old to wish death upon another human being finished it for her.

"You know, I'm really sorry that you're so insecure," Katie said in a tone that was the female equivalent to Snape's sarcasm, "But your little crush doesn't give you the right to say you want someone to die. Oh and by the way, in case you didn't notice, I'm disabled too, so I think I have a clue of what it's like to be discriminated against. In other words, that pain does not revolve around you."

She had said it; it was too late to take it back now. This was perhaps Katie's worst flaw. Her temper had gotten her into more trouble than she could remember, even with her spectacular memory. She grew angry at injustice, insults directed towards her friends, complete thoughtlessness, undeserved attacks of the verbal and physical kind among many other things. She doubted that she could ever outgrow her temper, as her mother never had. She just needed to learn how to control it better.

Billy Swift did not speak. She stood silent for about twenty seconds. Then she flew at Katie. Her wand was nowhere in sight, but Katie saw her fists. Again, instinct called to her and Billy flew up the staircase that led to the dungeons. Her body smacked hard into a stone wall, and she landed in a heap on the ground. The noise had caused Snape to leave his classroom.

"And what is going on here?" he demaded icily.

"It was her," Pansy Parkinson said, pointing at Katie, "She somehow threw her up the stairs and into the wall."

"That's not all that happened," Brittnay put in quickly, "Billy Swift was about to punch her. Katie was just defending herself."

"Ms, Insche and Ms. Swift, please come with me to see the headmaster. The rest of you, go back to your dormatories, now."

Katie and Billy followed Snape to Dumbledore's office. Snape walked slightly ahead of the two girls, expecting them to follow. Katie looked quickly at Billy; even she could tell that the other girl was glaring at her with pure hatred. Not wanting to start another fight, Katie looked in the other direction.

"_I'm going to end up coming to Dumbledore's office more often than Harry Potter. This has seriously gotta stop,"_ she thought.

Snape knocked yet again on Dumbledore's office door.

"Come in," his voice called with a slight hint of expectancy in it. "Severus? What is going on?"

"I have brought Ms. Insche and Ms. Swift here to explain a confrontation that I did not witness until it had ended. I had just dismissed my second year Gryffendor and Slytherin class when I heard a commotion outside. I went to investigate, and I saw Ms. Swift lying in a heap at the top of the staircase. The students informed me that this was Ms. Insche's doing but that it was nothing more than a self defense tactic. I am not sure what the true version of the story is as the two houses seemed divided in their recollections, so I brought them here to ask your permission to give each a dose of veritaserum."

"There is no need to give them veritaserum, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly, "I'm sure these two are willing to be perfectly honest with us. Ms. Swift, can you please tell me what happened."

"I left the Potions class and that girl just flew at me. I don't know what I ever did to her, but she doesn't like me for some reason."

Katie was using all of her restraint to stop herself from interrupting Billy's account of what happened. She knew Dumbledore would be fair and let her speak her piece too.

"Is there anything else you would like to tell me about, Ms. Swift?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, that's it," she answered.

"Very well then. Ms. Insche, could you please give me your version of what happened?"

"Well, when I was in Potions, I got this horrible pain in my mouth, so I stuck my finger inside of it to see what was wrong, and I realized that I had braces on my teeth. Brittany Douglass noticed, and she told the class what had happened. When the class was over and we went outside, Billy started insulting me about my braces. This didn't bother me as much as the fact that every time she is around me and my friends she insults us, well at least when Draco Malfoy is around too. I just got sick of it, so I lost my temper. I said something about how her crush didn't give her the right to treat me the way she was, and I told her that I'm disabled too so I know what it's like to be discriminated against. She got really mad and tried to hit me with her fists, so I used magic to throw her backwards up the stairs. I overshot it a little bit, which made her hit the wall. I swear I wasn't trying to hurt her; I just didn't want to get hit."

"And is there anything else you would like to tell me, Ms. Insche?" Dumbledore asked grimly.

"No," Katie replied.

"Really both of you are at fault," Dumbledore said, "Ms. Insche, while I do believe that you did not intend to slam Ms. Swift into the wall, your confession of losing your temper makes me believe that you not only said some cruel things but also that Ms. Swift did as well. I do not care which one of you started the physical fight. I just want to tell you both that his needs to stop. Ms. Swift, I have witnessed you insulting Ms. Insche and her friends for no apparent reason a few times before, and Ms. Insche, this is the second time I have heard of you using magic on a fellow student in a confrontational way. The both of you need to either put aside your differences or avoid each other if you cannot."

"Yes, sir," Katie said respectfully.

"Ok," Billy concented with a dark look on her face.

"Very well Ms. Swift," Dumbledore said, "I now wish to speak with Professor Snape and Ms. Insche alone. Please return to your dormitory."

Billy left the office, shooting one last look of hatred at Katie that, though he said nothing, did not go unnoticed by Albus Dumbledore.

"Ms. Insche, I wanted to talk to you about two things. First, I told you before to treat Billy Swift with kindness. Why did you lose your temper so easily?"

"I think I lost it because I knew that she really meant what she said. She said that she wished the ba-, I mean that I would get killed instead of being petrified. I thought that was probably one of the meanest things someone could say to a person that they don't even know. Also, some of my family members used insults against me as a kind of verbal abuse. I'm an adult now, so I've had enough of that kind of treatment. I'll just try to avoid her, no matter what she does or says."

"I know that you are easily prone to hold empathy for others, so I will tell you this much," Dumbeldore began, "Billy Swift's home life is not the best. She has had to live with many different people throughout her life thus far, and I do not belive she has come to trust any of the recent ones. In psychological terms, she has not formed any secure attachments since the one she shared with her mother. Perhaps this will help you understand why she is so envious of you and also why she seems to act out on her envy when she is around Draco Malfoy."

"I understand," Katie said calmly, "I'll try to remember what you've told me from now on."

"Good. The second thing I would like ot ask you is if you know why you have braces."

"I got braces on this day when I was twelve in the muggle world," said Katie, "I must have gotten them today because of that. It's kind of like my hair. It was shoulder-length until March when I was eleven. One day, I decided to get it cut to about chin-length. A few months ago, it got shorter while I was in the apartment between afternoon classes and dinner. I think I'm just going to go through all of the changes I went through in the muggle world while I'm here."

"Fortunately, I believe that this mystery has been satisfactorily solved," Dumbedore said, "Now, I would like to speak with Professor Snape, so could you please return to your apartment?"

"Yes, sir," Katie said. She turned to the door and left the office.

"Severus, I just wanted to explain to you the reason why I let you stay. I believe that the information about Ms. Insche that was disclosed here will prove to be important later on."

"_Later on? Later on? That's all he ever speaks of! When exactly is later on? This secretive old man makes me crazy!"_ Snape thought.

"I know that I do, Severus," Dumbledore said as though Snape had spoken his thoughts aloud, "Just be patient. If I reveal the information too soon, it could possibly ruin all."

"I do not wish to be a part of one of your plans," Snape said angrily, "I know how they usually turn out."

"But Seversu, this plan is not of my creation. This goes beyond any of us. I only know of it. Honestly, I have absolutely no idea of how it can possibly work, but it will."

"If you do not know how it will work, then why are you trying to influence it?"

"Because I know that what I am doing is helping the said plan to progress, perhaps faster than it would have without my aid. Now, Severus before too much is revealed, I must ask you to leave me."

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape said with as much contempt as he could muster.

"Now Severus," Dumbledore began with a twinkle in his eyes, "If the plan does work, you will eventually come to thank me for it. But I will advise you not to drop that sarcasm; I think it also will help matters."


	19. Chapter 19: Swelling Solution

Chapter 19

Swelling Solution

"Oh wow," Katie whispered, "It's finally here."

"What?" Brittany asked.

"It's the Potions class where they make the swelling solution. You know? The one where they take the ingrediants."

"Oh yeah," Amber said excitedly.

"Ms. Daniels, Ms. Douglass, and Ms. Insche, you will stop the conversation that you are carrying on during my lecture right this minute. Ten points from Gryffendor." Snape smirked as he continued to give his instructions. "Make sure that the flames under the cauldron are no higher than four and a quarter inches or else the potion may thicken too rapidly. The instruction list is on the black board. You may begin."

The girls pulled out their potion-making kits, and began to unpack the needed substances. Each added them in the correct order and amount to their cauldrons. The tension between the three mounted every second as expectation of the explosion grew. Eventually, it came. Goyle's potion splattered in every direction around the dungeon. With relief, Katie realized that none of it had hit her in the face. But then she felt a heaviness around her rib cage. She looked down only to see her bossom swelling rapidly, nearly to the point of splitting the thin fabric of her shirt. She watched the other students walking up to Snape's desk, knowing that she would eventually have to walk in front of the class in her embarrassing condition. She apprehensively stood up, feeling the weight pulling on her spinal cord. She walked to Snape's desk as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, by the time she reached it, the rest of the class had taken their seats. Everyone saw Katie's situation. The Gryffendors and Slytherin girls pretended not to have noticed, but the Slytherin boys sniggered.

"And I thought they were big before," Malfoy said loudly to the appreciative laughter of his friends.

Katie blushed deeper than she could ever remember blushing in her entire life. It was true that her breasts had always been big, but this was actually an aspect of herself that she had been very sensitive about because of comments such as these. What made it even worse now though was that she was only twelve. Well, that and the fact that she…

"That is enough Mr. Malfoy," Snape spat in an extremely strict voice. He handed Katie the antidote while trying to avoid even looking at her face let alone her still growing chest. She gulped it down quickly. After a couple of seconds, she felt herself returning to her normal state. As she walked back to her seat, she saw Billy Swift leave the room hurridly. Snape noticed, but chose not to comment. He walked to Goyle's cauldron to pull out the firework.

As the class prepaired to leave, Snape beckoned Katie and her friends over to his desk.

"Was it Harry Potter that threw the firework into Mr. Goyle's cauldron?" he asked demandingly.

"Um," Amber began, "We really can't tell you who did it. You'll just have to read the book."

Snape's expression grew very angry.

"I was under the impression that Americans could never seem to keep their mouths shut," he began icily, "For the most part, that seems to be very true of you three, especially at the most inappropriate times. Yet when the situation requires your cooperation through simple speech, you nearly always refuse to comply. There are two conclusions I can come to from this. First, you may possess an extensive amount of knowledge about what is to happen to the Wizarding World in the years to come, so you keep the information to yourselves in the hope that everything will turn out the way it is supposed to. Second, and I am most positive that this is the correct assumption, you three may just be so self-absorbed that you are oblivious to the trials that face a world that does not belong to you."

"Now wait a minute," Brittany began hotly.

"Oh, do awe me with your pitiful youthful defenses, your pathetic little insults that lack intellect, or one of your other measly attempts to put yourselves on my level. Please, Ms. Douglass, procede with what you were about ot say." Snape smirked in triumph as Brittany stodd silent, her mouth slightly opened in shock.

"You know," Katie started angrily, "I really don't understand you sometimes. There are times when you insult us and treat us like we're the ground under your feet, but there are other times where you just ask questions and come pretty close to treating us as equals. Now, I don't mind either of these personalities, as I'm used to both, but what I hate is that I never know which one is going to come up next. I wish you would just make up your mind. Are we adults or are we children in your eyes?"

Snape stared at her. Never had a student spoke to him in this manner; a student never would have dared. Yet she was correct. He was not always himself when he was around them. It was partly her fault too though. She and her friends could act with maturity at times, but there were also times when the three acted like children, the water fight for example.

"Perhaps, Ms. Insche, if the three of you would decide whether you want to act your age in this world or your age in the muggle world, then it would be easier for others to determine how to treat you."

"Ok, you're right," Katie concented, "We'll try to act our ages. But if we do that, please treat us like adults."

Snape said nothing, which Katie took as an affirmative.

"Is that it?" Amber asked.

"Almost," Snape said slowly, "Ten points from Gryffendor for your blatent disrespect for an elder."

"Only by twenty years," Katie muttered.

"_How did she figure that out so quickly?_" Snape asked himself.

"That's another five points, Ms. Insche. Go back to your apartment."

"_Will it ever change?"_ Katie wondered. Well, it was a start that he didn't directly answer her question.


	20. Chapter 20: First Revelation

Chapter 20

First Revelation

The Great Hall was packed; the house tables had been removed, and a long, narrow stage stood in the place that was normally the space between the Hufflepuff nad Ravenclaw tables. People stood everywhere—some in large groups, others with a couple of friends, and here and there the occasional loner lurked. Katie, Amber, and Brittany found a small bit of the floor that was free of students and claimed it for their own. Not long after they arrived, Lockheart began to speak and welcome them all to the dueling club. When he was finished with his unnecessary display of grandure, Lockheart introduced Snape. After watching Snape completely humiliate Lockheart in front of the entire student population, the students were split into pairs. Lockheart paired Amber and Brittany before Katie could comment, so partnering one of them was out of the question. By the time Snape reached her, everyone else was paired up.

"Very well, Ms. Insche, you will be paired with me."

Katie's heart seemed to skip a beat. A second year student dueling an accomplished master was a slightly nerve-wracking prospect. Luckily, the sorting hat seemed to have known what it was doing when it placed Katie in Gryffendor, for she gladly accepted the challenge, though this may not have been completely due to bravery.

Lockheart counted to three to signal the start of the duel. Snape raised his wand, but Katie was ready.

"Expelliarmous!"

Snape's wand flew out of his hand and straight into Katie's. She looked at him, holding his wand out for him to take, when she noticed a look of complete bewilderment on his thin face. She smirked slightly at the thought of how he must be feeling now to have been beaten by a mere student. But he didn't take his wand.

"What?" Katie asked as he stood looking at her.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Snape asked completely floored by the event that just took place.

"Well, I mean, you just did that spell yourself," Katie began in disbelief.

"Not the spell," Snape cut in firmly, "You used no wand. You disarmed me and summoned my wand, yet you used no wand to do so."

"I what?" Katie breathed.

"Normally, witches and wizards who are of age can perform a few basic spells without the aid of a wand. Perhaps you accomplished this due to your muggle age."

"I think I've done this before," Katie said thinking back to the night he had come to interview them in the apartment, "I got myself dressed without a wand but by using magic once. Maybe you're right. The strange thing is though that I don't even think about whether or not I'm using a wand; I just think of what needs to be done."

The conversation had to hault there, because the students' duels were beginning to get out of hand.

"Finite Incantatum!" Snape roared causing the effects of the unfriendly spells to subside.

Katie watched as Harry and Draco went up onto the stage to deul, but she really wasn't concentrating on them. She wondered why her body seemed to be doing things that were beyond her conscious thought, and also if it would stop at this small level.

Harry stopped the snake from attacking Justin to the utter amazement and horror of the watching students and professors. Justin ran from the Hall followed a short while later by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. After a couple of minutes, Snape dismissed the rest of the students. Amber and Brittany made their way over to Katie.

"Come on. Let's go," Brittany said.

"I'll meet you guys in a few minutes," Katie said, "I want to talk to Snape about something."

"Ok?" Amber concented questioningly.

"I'll tell you later," Katie answered. With that, the two girls left for the apartment.

Katie walked over to where she saw Snape standing away from the rest of the diminishing crowd.

"Um, can I ask you about what happened with me earlier?" Katie asked meekly.

"Yes," Snape allowed slowly, "But we must not discuss it here. Follow me."

He began to exit the Hall. Katie, unsure of where the two were going, followed. He took her down to the dungeons, but not into the Potions classroom. Eventually, they stopped at a mahogany door. Snape tapped it thrice with his wand, and it swung inward. He flicked a lightswitch on his right side so that a dim, peaceful light filled the room. At first Katie was taken aback by seeing Snape use a lightswitch in the Wizarding World, but then she remembered that J. K. Rowling had gotten a few minor details about this world wrong. She then decided to observe her surroundings.

Her eyes fell upon a wonderfully homey-looking room. Though she could not tell the colors of the furnature, walls, and carpet, she could see that this living area was exactly like one she would wish to have. Though she could not tell it, the carpet was a deep green that reflected the man's Slytherin pride, the coffee and end tables were made of a beautiful polished cherry wood; a leather sofa, two black wing-backed chairs, and a comfortable-looking recliner were placed strategically throughout the room. One wall was not a wall at all, but a hug bookshelf filled to bursting with numerous volumes. Two of the other walls had a few doorways in them; one of these led into a dark hallway, but Katie was unable to tell where the others led. The final wall was vacant except for a fireplace with a bare mantal atop it. In short, it was the masculine equivalent of the type of house she would choose to live in.

"What was it that you wished to ask me, Ms. Insche?" Snape broke into her observations.

"I was wondering why I'm not aware of using wandless magic," Katie stated.

"That is a curious matter," Snape began seriously, "Perhaps it is because you seem to be blissfully unaware of the majority of the world—be it muggle or magical—that you occupy. It seems that in your case, ignorance truly is bliss."

"Will you just answer my question and stop playing these stupid mind games with me," Katie demanded hotly.

"Excuse me," Snape started angrily, "After the discussion we had about a week ago concerning you acting your age, I would have thought that simple conversation would not have such an impact on you."

"Well, if we're talking about people acting their ages, I thought cheap insults were used primarily on the playground."

"And you would certainly be the person to ask about matters such as these if I ever need an informant," Snape sneared sarcastically.

"Can you just please answer my question?" Katie asked again, wanting to avoid a completely pointless insult contest.

"You are probably unaware of your actions, because you have not been in the Wizarding World for very long. Those who have grown up with magical abilities are more atuned to their particular strengths and weaknesses. For example, children are unable to control their magical gifts, because they have not possessed them for a long enough period of time, which is similar to your own plight; you spent twenty years in the Muggle World without the slightest hint of having any magical talents, and you came into this world nad have only been here for a little over a year. It is no wonder that you are not aware of all that you are doing. Your awareness should increase with time."

"Ok, that's all I wanted to know," Katie said, "Thank you."

Snape raised his eyebrows. Never before had he been thanked by a student, especially by one that he had just had a verbal confrontation with. Yes, now this girl was acting her true age.

"It is late," Snape said after a short pause, "Filch will catch you if you try to walk back alone. I will walk you back to your apartment."

"Ok," Katie agredd.

The two walked through the corridors in silence. Katie could tell that Snape was done with having long conversations for the night, so she did not press the matter. They reached the apartment door, and Katie drew out her wand to unlock it. She tapped the door and heard the lock click. Before she opened the door to walk inside, she looked back at Severus.

"Goodnight," shee said kindly.

"Goodnight," he replied with quiet sincerity.

As she turned the metallic doorknob, Katie's heart felt as though it was swelling within her chest. As she turned to close the door, she looked once more at Severus; he was watching her. She gave him a small close-lipped smile, which for a second she could have sworn he returned, but then he turned away and strode back to his quarters.


	21. Chapter 21: Near Misses at Christmas

Chapter 21

Near Misses at Christmas

"Oh man, I'm full," Amber sighed rubbing her stomach. "So do you guys wanna go back to the apartmet?"

"Yeah," Brittany yawned, "Come on Katie, you should come with us."

"I think I'm just gonna go for a walk around the castle," Katie said unenthusiastically.

"I'm sorry you couldn't have a concert since everyone went home, but you really should stop moping about something you can't change," Amber advised.

"I'm not moping," Katie said honestly, "I'm just bored. I love taking walks anyway, so I think a walk is a nice idea."

"Ok," Brittany concented skeptically, "Whatever you wanna do. We're going to leave now."

"Ok, see you two later," Katie said slightly apathetically.

Katie watched the two girls leave the Great Hall, and after awhile she got up from the table herself. She strode past the staff table and out of the Hall. Portraits and passegeways seemed to glide past her as she walked dreamily through the Hogwarts corridors. She had summoned her iPod so that she could indulge in the blissful sounds of her favorite music. As usual, the melodies and rhythms had put her into a state of relaxed yet excited meditation; she was nearly unaware of her surroundings when…

"Ms. Insche. What are you doing wandering the corridors alone?"

Katie pulled her earbuds out of her ears, the better to hear the smooth bass of Severus Snape.

"I was just taking a wlk. I haven't taken a walk in ages. I love walking alone, so I decided that today would be a nice day for it."

"Oh, how wonderful," Snape sneared sarcastically.

"It is," Katie said seriously, "I really enjoy it."

"And do you know what I would enjoy, Ms. Insche?" Snape asked softly.

"What?"

"I would enjoy it if you were spending this time in a more productive way, such as practicing Occlumency." Snape smirked at his precieved jab to her fragile ego.

"What's the point?" Katie said wearily, "We both know that I'm terrible at it no matter how much I practice or what techniques I use. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it successfully."

"As much as I agree with you, it is on the Headmaster's orders that you learn this valuable skill. Therefore, practicing it as much as possible is crucial."

"Yeah, I know," Katie mumbled in a bored voice, "But I still would rather walk now."

Snape looked at her for a moment and then lifted his right foot and took a tentative step. His left foot soon followed until he was walking at a steady pace.

"What are you doing?" Katie asked baffled at his slow beginning.

"It is called walking, Ms. Insche. Even a person in possession of your limited intellect should know that." Katie stared at him for a moment, still wondering what his alterior motive was. "Will you move your feet of your own accord, or will I have to send for one of the house elves to levitate you into your apartment."

She couldn't believe this was actually happening; she was actually going on a walk around the castle with Professor Snape. The question was why.

"What do you want from me?" Katie asked bluntly choosing to take this tactic.

"I wish to take another attempt at Occlumency with you," Snape answered honestly.

"But I just told you," Katie began slightly annoyed, "I don't think I'll ever be able to do Occlumency. I know it's on Dumbledore's orders, so why don't we just explain the situation to him. Maybe he has some suggestions that we can use."

"We will practice Occlumency tonight," Snape said firmly, "You will follow me to my office, and we shall begin yet again."

"Fine," Katie replied, not in the mood to arguing.

The two walked down the hall that led to the downward staircase. Snape was silent for a moment, but then he decided to speak.

"Do you simply enjoy handing me each of your precious memories, or are you just so imcompetant that-" But he stopped speaking immediately. He looked around quickly at the hand that had tightly grasped his upper right arm.

Katie could feel the slight flex of the hard muscle beneath the smooth cotton robes. But now was not the time to think of that.

"What are you-" Snape began.

"Shh!" Katie whispered loudly, "Don't move. I hear something moving."

"What do you expect in a school?" Snape asked exasperatedly.

"It's not a person," Katie snapped impatiently, "I'm serious. We need to get out of here. Come on."

With that she began to walk forward, moving her hand down to Snape's wrist in order to drag him along behind her. She felt his wrist wriggle as if this gesture had made him uncomfortable; however, she knew that this was not the time to be concerned about these petty matters. Gripping him still more tightly, she began to walk back up the stairs. She walked quickly towards the apartment, fully intent on ushering Snape safely inside. They soon reached the door. Katie tapped it once with her wand, and it swung open quickly. She pulled Snape into the living room, and slammed the door behind them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Snape asked angrily.

"I'm sorry," Katie said more loudly than her previous statements had been, "But I couldn't let you get-" She broke off when she realized the great secret she was about to reveal; he could not know of the basilisk.

"Let me what?" Snape asked coldly.

"I can't tell you," Katie said, "It's in the next book. You'll find out eventually, and you'll be happy that you got out of there so quickly."

"If this has anything to do with whatever is petrifying the students, it is your duty to inform an adult of it," Snape said seriously, "Do you know what the monster is?"

"Yes," she answered honestly, "But I can't tell you what it is. Everything will turn out the way it's supposed to."

"Students could die," Snape said sharply, "You and your friends could prevent this if you told me what lies within the Chamber."

"I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Then I shall leave now. I have tried time and time again to get important information out of the three of you, yet you never once cooperated. I am finished." With that Snape made for the front door.

"Wait!" Katie shouted, knowing that the basilisk could be somewhere close. She ran after him, grabbing his arm yet again.

"Let go," Snape hissed furiously through clenched teeth.

"No," Katie said determinedly, "You don't have any idea what's out there. I'm not letting you face it."

"Tell me then," Snape breathed, "Or I will go straight to the Headmaster."

"Don't make me do this," Katie said wearily, "I really don't want to."

"Do what?" Snape asked as the movement in the walls seemed to come closer.

"I'm giving you one chance," Katie warned, "You can either come with me now, or I will have to make you."

"A student cannot make me do anything that is against my wil," Snape informed, "Now, let me go this instant."

"Mobilicorpus!" Katie yelled. Snape's body rose up into the air, suspended by the flow of power coming from Katie's wand.

"Finite Incantatum!" Snape yelled angrily, but his body did not come down. "Let me down this minute!" Snape roared.

"This is for your own good," Katie said. She brought his body back to the apartment, and closed the door behind them. She had Snape sit in a comfortable chair while she took the one across from him. They would have to wait.


	22. Chapter 22: Continuing to Meet

Chapter 22

Continuing to Meet

"What, may I ask, is so urgent that you refuse to release me and allow me to return to my own quarters?" Snape fired angrily.

"I won't let you leave, because if I did you might die," Katie replied honestly.

"If that is true, then you must tell the headmaster of your suspicions. If my life is in potential danger, then the lives of all who reside in theis castle are also in danger. Are you not at all concerned about them?"

"Of course I am," said Katie impatiently, "But all of the other students are back in their dormatories and the teachers are probably all back in their offices. I don't think anyone will be walking aroundthe castle this late after dinner on Christmas."

"Yet are you certain of this?" Snape countered, "After all, you decided to take a walk after dinner, and I was headed for my quarters when you foolishly used magic on me, your professor. As long as we are on the subject, I think I shall use the remainder of my time here to think up a suitable punishment for you."

"If you want to go ahead," Katie said apathetically, "I'll just keep listening to my music." With that, she put her earbuds back into her ears and moved her limbs into a more comfortable position. As she searched for a desired song, she noticed Snape trying to get up from his seat.

"What are you doing?" she asked, "I put the spell on you. You can't move unless I let you."

"I am trying to come over to you and remove those stupid speakers from your ears," Snape spat, "If you intend to keep me here under the belief that my life is in danger, I would at least like to be given an explanation."

"I'm sorry, but you should know by now that I can't do that," Katie said calmly.

"Yes, yes, I know, the book," Snape scowled, "Can you at least tell the headmaster so that he can prvent the death or deaths of students?"

"No one will die," Katie said.

"Well then," Snape began icily, "If no one will die, why am I not allowed to return to my quarters? You know, the headmaster seems to think that you and your little friends are three of the most intelligent students to enter Hogwarts, but it seems that every time you and I have a conversation you disprove his hypothesis. Why is this, do you think?"

"It's because there are things you and Professor Dumbledore don't know. And apparently, there are lots of things I don't know too," Katie muttered as an after thought.

"Such as?" Snape prompted trying to sound fairly uniterested but not fooling Katie in the slightest.

"Such as the painting of me in the Entrance Hall, the fact that I can use wandless magic, the story behind Billy Swift, why I seem to have incredibly strong instincts in this world, and and why I seem to be spending so much time with…" She broke off before the complete act of self-incrimination could be committed.

"With?" Snape asked silkily.

"Nothing," Katie said sharply leaving it at that.

The two sat in contemplative silence for a moment. Snape considered the utter strangeness of the situation. This girl had read books of what was to occur over a seven year time period, yet she could not answer questions concerning her own life in the same world that was outlined in great detail in the books. The quiry about Billy Swift made sense enough—the author probably never put a character named Billy Swift in her books—but why would she have so many questions about herself? After all, she had lived twenty years before she came into this world; wouldn't that have given her all of the insights into her own personality? It made no sense. It seemed as though further discussion of this matter could not answer these questions for either of them, so Snape decided to change the subject.

"How will you know when I am allowed to return to my quarters?"

"That's a good question," Katie mused, "I'll have to keep opening the door and checking outside."

"Checking for what?" Snape asked casually.

"Nice try," Katie smiled. He really could be like a child sometimes.

"It is getting rather late though. You probably will want to turn in soon."

"Oh no," Katie said, "I am definitely a night person. When I'm on vacation, I usually stay up until two or three and don't wake up until between ten and noon. Haven't you ever noticed that I'm not at breakfast during the holidays?"

"As I generally do not eat breakfast during the holidays either, I cannot say that I have," Snape commented.

"Why don't you eat breakfast?" Katie asked curiously.

"I too am a person who prefers the night hours," Snape answered, "Although I do wake up earlier than you do."

"What time do you usually wake up?"

Snape looked at her curiously. He had never had a conversation that was this casual with anyone. Well, at least not since…

"I generally get out of bed by 8:30 during the holidays," Snape answered, "Perhaps you should check outside to see if I can safely walk back to my quarters."

"Oh yeah," Katie said. She got up and walked to the door. Once it was opened, she stuck her head out straining to hear some sound of the basilisk's movement. She heard nothing, and her fearful instinct had finally subsided.

"I think you can go back now," she said, turning to Snape and lifting the spell upon him.

"Very well," Snape concented, "But first you are going to come with me to the headmaster's office. We are going to discuss your concerns and the actions you have taken today."

The two left the apartment, Katie feeling reluctant and Snape unreadable. They made their way to Dumbledore's office in silence. Each took occasional glances at the other as if hoping to see some clue as to what the other was thinking. Katie wondered if Snape would mention all that had passed between them on this day; she thought of her confession of confusion and misunderstanding, and apprehension crept into her, slowly at first then faster until the torrent of it nearly overwhelmed her. Why was this meeting so important that it had to take place at 11:53 on Christmas nicht?

Eventually, they reached the door once again. It was as if a familiar movie clip had automatically put itself on loop in Katie's head. First they walked up the staircase; then Snape extended his right arm out in front of her; then he knocked three times upon the wooden office door; then Dumbledore told them to come in; finally Snape opened the door and allowed Katie to follow him into the office. To Katie, this series of events had become quite monotonous with its constant repetition.

"Severus?" Dumbledore enquired curiously, "What brings you here at this late hour?"

"I have come to inform you of the actions taken earlier this evening by Ms. Insche."

Dumbledore's eyes flicked upward towards the ceiling for a moment. It was as if he was a small child giving his parent a look of incredulity at hearing the same lecture over again for the tenth time.

"Very well, Severus," he began in a sighing tone, "What is it this time?"

"As I was heading back to my rooms from dinner, I spotted Ms. Insche strolling around the corridors. I stopped her to ask her why she was wandering about the castle and we soon began walking together. After a few minutes, she grabbed me and advised me to stop walking. Upon my questioning her odd behavior, she used the Mobilicorpus charm on me and forced me to return to her apartment with her. I tried using numerous spells to release myself, but none of them seemed to work. When I asked her why she had done this to me, she informed me that my life was in danger. The only other information I gleaned on this matter was that it had something to do with the next book. I have brought her here, because I believe that you can give her the most suitable punishment."

"Is that what happened, Ms. Insche?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"Yes," Katie said.

"Well Severus, if your life was truly in danger, which I am sure it must have been for I see no reason for Ms. Insche to make up such a story, I do not see why there is any need for a punishment. While it is perfectly true that students are not permitted to use magic on their professors, this seems to be a special circumstance. What concerns me most about this story is that Ms. Insche did not tell you what was endangering your life. Ms. Insche, if the lives of the people are at Hogwarts are in any kind of danger, you must tell me what the source of the danger is."

"No one will die, according to the book," Katie said slowly, trying to decide in an instant how much information she could safely reveal,. "The worst that will happen to anyone is that they will be petrified."

"But then," Dumbledore began skeptically, "If no one is killed in the book, why did you feel the need to save Professor Snape from the possible danger?"

"Because," Katie started, choosing her words very carefully, "A few things have been different from the books since I got here, like the fact that the people in this world can use electricity and that Hogwarts students can wear whatever clothes they want to instead of wearing the robes every day. I just had a feeling that I had to bring Professor Snape back with me. I really don't have a better explanation."

"Very well then," Dumbledore said, "If you are quite sure that no one is to be killed, I shall drop this matter for now. Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me?"

"Yes," Professor Snape said quickly, "Ms. Insche claims ot have extensive knowledge of the Wizarding World from the books, yet she told me tonight of many things about this world that were confusing to her. These included her strong instincts about taking odd actions and her somewhat advanced ability to perform wandless magic. If the books are truly as detailed as she said, why should these pieces of her personality be so baffling to her?"

"Again, I cannot answer that question," Dumbledore said, "I have told you before that you must wait for the answers to these questions. I am asking you both yet again to drop it."

Katie and Snape glanced at each other, both seeming to ask the same question; how much did he tell you?

"You both know roughly the same amount of information," Dumbledore Dumbledore said, accurately reading their expressions, "Discussing this among yourselves will not clarify anything I guarantee you. Now, it is getting very late. Do either of you have any other matters you wish to discuss with me?"

Neither replied, so Dumbledore dismissed them. As Snape walked Katie back to her apartment, he asked, "What do you know of this lack of information?"

"I know that every time I ask him about why I can do certain things or even about why there is a painting of me in the Entranc Hall he refuses to tell me anything. Has he pretty much told you the same thing?"

"Pretty much," Snape said. He decided not to mention the prophecy; if she did not know of it, Dumbledore had probably wanted it that way.

They reached the apartment door at around half past midnight.

"Ms. Insche," Snape said as Katie opened the door, "If you suddenly feel the urge to save me from some iminant doom in the future, we shall go to my office so that you can practice Occlumency as much as possible. Hopeless though you are, I must comply with the headmaster's wishes."

"Maybe we could ask him if there's any point to these lessons anymore since nothing really seems to be happening with them," Katie suggested.

"By all means, ask him if you must; however I feel that he shall answer you with the same nonsense as usual. He will most likely tell you that there are reasons for the lessons and that he will tell you about them at a later time."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Katie said gloomily. Snape smirked in slight triumph. "Well, goodnight then," Katie said more brightly.

"Goodnight," Severus murmered.


	23. Chapter 23: Questioning the Diary

Chapter 23

Questioning the Diary

"Oh damn!" Brittany cried clutching her chest. A sudden outbreak of yelling was easily heard throughout the corridors. The girls had all jumped as the cacophony reached their ears.

"What the hell is going on?" Brittany asked the others.

"Wait," Katie said listening to the yelling, "They sound, happy."

The three walked to the apartment door to see what the source of the commotion was. As they looked outside, they saw students running past in their pajamas.

"Hey! What's going on?" Amber yelled to one of the passing students.

"Harry Potter killed the monster! The one in the Chamber of Secrets," the girl said excitedly, "Dumbledore's having a feast prepaired for us."

"Cool," Brittany said happily, "Do you guys wanna go?"

"Yeah," Katie and Amber answered in unison. The three joined the throng on the way down to the Great Hall. When they got there, they sat at their usual places. The quantity and quality of the food was equal to that of the usual feasts; however, it all semed much better to Katie because of the late hour. It was a completely new experience. The girls listened to the announcements and speeches as Lockheart left and Hagrid returned. The feast ended around 4:00 in the morning, so the girls headed sleepily for the apartment.

"Ms. Insche, Ms. Douglass, and Ms. Daniels? Will you please come over here?"

The three looked around to see who had spoken. Albus Dumbledore was looking at them. They walked toward the staff table wondering all the while what Dumbledore could possibly want to tell them.

"Will you please accompany me to my office?" he asked quietly, "I have a very important question for you that cannot wait until after you have slept."

"If it has anything to do with the books, I may as well come too, Headmaster," Snape said softly, "After all, I too will read them."

"No," Dumbledore said harshly, "Severus, you will return to your rooms. This information is not for your ears."

Snape stared for a moment, looking remarkably like a child that had just been scolded by a harsh parent. "Very well," he said coldly. With that, he strode off.

The girls followed Dumbledore to his office in slight anticipation. When they were inside, he had them all take seats in front of his desk.

"I wanted to ask you about the diary. I assume of course that you know of what I speak?"

"Yes," Katie said.

"Well, what can you tell me about the diary?" Dumbledore asked.

"Um," Brittany began with a vague idea of where this conversation was going, "Well, what do you want to know?"

"I want to know if it is more than just a simple diary. Does it have any secrets connected to it?"

Katie knew how to answer this question; feigned ignorance would be the best response, because this would make it so that Dumbledore had to figure out that the diary was a horcrux without their help. Unfortunately, Amber spoke before Katie could.

"We can't tell you that. You'll have to wait and read the books."

Dumbledore was silent for a couple of seconds before he next spoke. "Thank you. You have already answered my question. Now, since it is so late I think it best that you return to your apartment."

The girls left the office. As soon as they were out of earshot, Katie rounded on Amber. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"What are you talking about?" Brittany asked perplexed.

"You basically just told him that the diary is a horcrux according to the books," Katie snarled.

"I didn't say anything about horcruxes," Amber fired angrily.

"You didn't have to," Katie began impatiently, "Don't you get it? If we had pretended to not know what Dumbledore was talking about when he asked about the diary having hidden secrets, he would have assumed that we didn't know anything about the diary so he would've had to figure it out for himself. But since you went and said that we couldn't answer that question, his suspicions were confirmed."

"Even if he does know," Amber started, "Why does it matter? He would have figured it out on his won anyway, so it's not like we gave away some big secret."

"It still might change everything," Katie said exasperatedly, "Now that he knows the diary is a horcrux, Dumbledore may not even bother gathering memories from all of those people to see if his guess is right. That means Harry won't be able to see the memories, which means that he won't know what the horcruxes look like. Don't you think that might be just a little bit serious?"

"I think," Amber shot at her, "That you're jumping to a lot of crazy conclusions! You are being absolutely ridiculous and paranoid! Everything will still happen like it's supposed to!"

"We don't know that for sure, so I'm going back there to tell him to get those memories," Katie said angrily. She turned around and walked back up the corridor that led to Dumbledore's office.

"You can't do that!" Brittany yelled, "You think Amber mettled, well what do you call what you're about to do?"

"Fixing a problem," Katie shouted over her shoulder. She climbed the spiral staircase as quickly as her poor eyesight would permit. She reached the door and knocked four times.

"Enter," Dumbledore called. Katie opened the office door. "Ms. Insche," Dumbledore said surprisedly, "Was there something you wanted?"

"I wanted to, um, tell you something," Katie started breathlessly, "I think you know now what the diary is?"

"Yes," Dumbledore answered honestly.

"Well, are you thinking of ways to prove your theory?"

"There is no need ot prove it. Ms. Daniels made it quite clear that my suspicions were correct."

"I would strongly suggest that you still go ahead and gather the proof for the theory. I can't tell you why, but if you don't, things may not work out well for anyone. Please, do what you would have done if Amber hadn't proved your theory. I can't even begin to tell you how important this is."

"If you truly believe it to be this crucial, I will certainly continue as if I knew nothing. Thank you for helping me, and perhaps others, in this matter. Now, it is very late. You should return to your apartment."

Katie left the office and noticed that the pounding of her heart had finally begun to slow. When she reached the end of the corridor, she saw that Amber and Brittany were nowhere in sight.

"Ms. Insche."

Katie jumped so badly at the voice that came to her out of the consealed nitch in the wall that her heart rate immediately returned to its rapid beating. Severus Snape stepped out of his hiding place, a look of concern on his thin face.

"Why are you walking around the castle at five in the morning?" Snape asked.

"I was talking with Professor Dumbledore, and I just got out of his office."

"And where are your friends?" Snape sneared.

"I think they went back to the apartment," Katie answered.

"Why would the headmaster want to speak with you alone?"

"I went back to talk to him," Katie replied.

"Yes, I was able to figure that out based on the shouting match you three had in the middle of the corridor. You will want to keep future conversations such as these much quieter. While it is true that the hour is early, there are still some people walking through the corridors. So tell me, in which book do we learn of the horcruxes?"

Katie could tell that there was no getting around Snape's knowledge. He had simply heard too much. "The sixth," Katie answered, "But please don't tell anyone about this, not even Dumbledore. If you do it could ruin everything whether you meant it to or not. Just please keep this to yourself. Actually, if Dumbledore slightly touches on the subject in any of your conversations, just pretend like you don't know anything. No one can find out that you know about this."

"I am not stupid, Ms. Insche," Snape said, "I know the possible consiquences of revealing my knowledge to others. You do not need to order me to keep it to myself. I had already planned on doing so. Of course, since you are already aware of the outcomes of the books, I felt it acceptable to tell you. This also serves as a warning. Do not ever have a conversation like that one in public again. No matter how angry you are, you must control it in these situations. This, Ms. Insche, is also a sign of maturity. Perhaps, one day, you may master this art."

"And maybe not," Katie said glumly, realizing that even in his insult Snape was completely right. "Thank you for the advice," Katie said sincerely, "I will try to keep it in mind from now on."

"I think you should go back to the apartment now. Filch is most likely patrolling the corridors, so I shall walk with you." They headed for the apartment in tired silence. They eventually reached it. Katie opened the door and began to walk in.

"Goodnight," said Severus.

"Goodnight," Katie smiled in return.


	24. Chapter 24: Dark Summer Guests

Chapter 24

Dark Summer Guests

"Why are we going out here again?" Katie asked glumly.

"Because," Brittany said exasperatedly, "We just finished our third year, and we still haven't gone to visit Hagrid."

"Yeah, come on let's just go," Amber said.

"Ok, ok," Katie concented, wishing they could stay inside away from the glaring sunlight. They strode confidently across the grounds, headed for the small wooden hut. Suddenly, a wave of inpenitrable cold broke over the three of them. Only seconds later, clouds obscured the brightly shining sun.

"It's them isn't it?" Brittany asked.

"You mean the-" But Amber broke off at the sound of the slow, rattling breath.

"E-Expecto Patronum!" Brittany called, but nothing emerged from her wand tip. "Come on guys! Help me!"

The others drew out their wands, but they were too late; the dementors were already swooping down on them. And Katie was standing there, once again. The blade in her hand was barely visible through the darkness of the room and the film of tears that still clung to her eyelashes. She knew what she wanted to do, but something stopped her. Instead, she thrust the blade at the kitchen wall and ran it down the plaster, feeling it slice through the thin layer of paint. She stood still for a moment, the blade held up. She thought of how easy and blissful it would be; if she did it now, it would all be over.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Katie just made out a silvery shape charging down the dementors. She sank to the ground, realizing that sitting would be easier at the moment. When her hazy vision returned to its usual impaired state, she looked up to catch a glimpse of her rescuer. Severus Snape stood over them, a look of concern on his face. Brittany's face was completely bloodless, and Amber was trembling violently. Snape gave his wand a complicated wave, and three large chocolate bars appeared.

"Eat these," he said, handing them out to the girls. They took it without comments or questions. Katie bit into her piece hurridly, wanting the warm, easy feeling to sweep over her. In very little time, it did. She looked over at her friends to see that they had seemed to return to normal.

"Thank you," Katie said, looking at Snape. His eyes met hers, and she knew instinctively what was about to happen.

"Stop!" she screamed, actually causing Snape to jump. He stared at her quizzically. "I'm sorry," she said in a normal tone, "I just didn't want you using Legilimency on me. If you want to know what I saw, then just ask, but please don't ever try to see my thoughts without my permission."

"Come with me to my office," Snape said firmly, "You two, return to your apartment, now."

"But sir," Brittany began, "We were going to visit Hagrid."

"That can wait until later," Snape spat, "For now, I would prefer it if you returned to the apartment. You have just been attacked by dementors, so a tranquil environment will be the best for you. Now, go." Amber and Brittany glanced at Katie before they slowly began walking back towards the castle. Snape and Katie followed a few paces behind them, but turned in a different direction soon after they entered the school. When they got to Snape's office, he ushered Katie quickly inside.

"What did you see?" he asked quietly.

"Why?" Katie fired back, her senses quickly returning to her.

"Your face," Snape said, "It, it was, striped."

"Striped?" Katie breathed completel bewildered.

"Yes, striped. Though the color did not completely change, the hue began to turn black and orange. Do you have an explanation?"

"No, not at all," Katie replied, "Was there anything else different about me?"

"Not that I saw," Snape answered, "Perhaps what you saw relates in some way. Even if you cannot see it, sometimes others are able to make connections better when it comes to personal matters in another's life. Although, in your case, I would say that this is always true."

"Do we really have to do this now?" Katie asked exasperatedly.

"What did you see?" Snape asked in return, avoiding the question.

"I saw myself standing in the kitchen in my parent's house. I was fourteen, and I had a knife in my hand. I was so depressed that the only thing I wanted to do was die. I was ready to use the knife on my wrists, but something stopped me. Instead of cutting myself, I cut the wall I was leaning against. Every time I tried to do it, something stopped me. I still have no idea what it was, but because of it, I was never able to cut myself. Do you see how that relates to the stripes?"

"No," Snape answered honestly, "Was this the part of your time with your father that you refused to tell me about?"

"Yes," Katie answered.

"You were so adement about not telling me this before. What has changed? Is there actually a miniscule bit of wisdom in the mush that lies within your skull in place a functioning brain?"

"No," Katie said hardly, "I told you because I wanted to know about the stripes and also because I actually know you better now. When you asked me before, I wasn't sure who you would tell, but now, I have an idea."

"And who do you think that I will tell?" Snape asked intrigued.

"Professor Dumbledore," Katie answered.

"And do you honestly think that the headmaster would be that interested in your adolescent suicide attempts?"

"You know perfectly well that he would."

"Still, I think it better if you choose to reveal this part of yourself to him. If you give him your actual account, it will seem more real to him than if I simply relay a story."

Katie stood in silence for a few seconds, stunned at what Snape had just shown her. Was it really the smallest bit of respect?

"Thank you," she said finally. The slightest glimpse of a smile flitted across Severus's thin face before it was hastily replaced by his usual, indifferent façade.

"Are you cooking tonight?" Snape asked.

"What?" Katie asked, hoping that he wasn't referring to the innuendo she had constructed in her mind.

"It is a simple question, Ms. Insche. Are you cooking dinner tonight?"

"Oh. Um, well, I really wasn't planning on it. Why?"

"I was hoping that you would make the enchilada soup that you made about a month ago. Though many of the students and professors were put off by its spiciness, I rather enjoyed it."

"_Did he just pay me a compliment?"_

"I can definitely make that again tonight. It's one of my favorite recipes," Katie said, a smile spreading onto her face as it always did at the thought of food.

"Very well then," Snape said, "Perhaps you should start on it now as it is getting very close to dinner time."

"Ok," Katie concented, smiling at the man's eagerness. "I'll see you in a few hours then."

"Yes," Snape answered. Katie left his office, heading for the kitchens.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When the girls reached the Great Hall, they saw that the customary summer table had been laid out for them and the professors. Katie sat down, not noticing immediately that she had chosen a seat directly across from Snape. She looked across the table only to see him watching her. She dropped her gaze quickly, feeling an odd swooping sensation within her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger.

"I see you have made part of our dinner again tonight, Ms. Insche," Dubledore commented happily as the platters and tourenes appeared. Snape instantly seized the large bowl of enchilada soup and began ladling it into his soup bowl. Katie felt a close-lipped smile slide onto her face. Even with the dementor attack, it really had been a wonderful day.


	25. Chapter 25: Boggarts

Chapter 25

Boggarts

Katie, Amber, and Brittany walked with the rest of the Gryffendors to Professor Lupin's classroom.

"I don't really see why we can't just meet them in the staff room," Brittany complained, "I mean, that's where we're all gonna end up anyway."

'We can't do that, because it will lead to really strange questions," Katie explained, "We'll end up having to tell Lupin about the books."

"Ok," Brittany said tiredly.

Katie decided to drop this subject here; there was still a great deal of tension between the three girls concerning the accidental revelation of the diary's hidden secret.

"So," Katie began quickly, "Do you know what your boggarts will be?"

"Well I know mine will be a giant scorpion," said Brittany, "But I have no idea how I can make that funny."

"I really don't know what mine will be," Amber mused, "I'm not sure what scares me most. What will yours be, Katie?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I have a few ideas," Katie said apprehensively.

When they arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, each girl took a seat in the front. Professor Lupin arrived a few minutes late—as the girls suspected he would—and ushered them out of the room. They were headed for the staff room when Peaves appeared seeminghly out of nowhere. He began singing his annoying little song while Lupin looked blankly at him. Peaves was given one warning about his behavior, but he ignored it as usual. Then Lupin turned to the class and asked them to watch as he performed a spell that might prove to be "useful" one day. Katie, Brittany, and Amber grinned as the wad of gum flew up Peaves's nostril. They continued their walk until they reached the staff room. Snape watched them all walk in, his eyes lingering perhaps the smallest bit longer on Katie. He then turned to Lupin and made his comments about Neville. Instead of looking at Neville or Lupin as Katie had thought he would do, his eyes flicked back to her. She frowned with displeasure at him, thinking about what he had just said about a boy that had suffered enough hardships in his short life. Snape's eyes then slid to the floor. After a few seconds of silence, Snape left the staff room.

Lupin then lectured the class on how to deal with boggarts. When instructed to, Katie considered her own boggart form and how it could be made comical. Like Harry, she had a great deal of difficulty with thinking of how the horrible form could be changed into something funny. But Lupin did not give either of them enough time to consider. They were asked to line up behind Neville, so Katie found a spot by Amber and Brittany. The class watched as each student took his or her turn with the boggart. Finally, Brittany was called forward. There was a swirl of color and a crack before the boggart turned into a giant scorpion. Her face grew pale as she shakily raised her wand and performed the spell. The scorpion turned bright purple and its stinger became a fluffy pink ball. Most of the people in the class laughed. Katie just stared at what her friend's imagination had created. Then it was her turn.

She faced the boggart, trying to prepair herself for what she was about to see. There was a loud crack and a swirl of color and then two forms stood in front of the class. It took a few seconds for everyone to realize what they were, but once they found out, there were screams of terror. Two bodies faced Katie, one male and one female. Decomposition had begun to set in which gave their flesh a rotting look. The woman grinned insanely at Katie and began walking towards her, arms outstretched. The man made to walk around behind her, but Katie knew this couldn't happen.

"Ridikuous!"

Two coffins appeared behind the corpses, and an invisible force pushed them into their proper resting places. With a final bang, the lids crashed down. Katie stepped back shakily, allowing Harry to walk forward and face the boggart.

"Here!" called Professor Lupin, stopping Harry from producing what he believed to be Voldemort. "Well, I think that is enough for today," Lupin said hurridly, eyes flickcing back and forth between Katie and Harry.

"Katie," Brittany began in a whisper, "Were those your, your parents?"

"Yes," Katie answered softly.

Amber nad Brittany stared for a moment until they realized what they were doing. They quickly turned their attention back to Professor Lupin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that day, the girls walked to dinner. Katie was not in an extremely talkative mood, but decided to try and be optimistic. Fortunately, talking did not prove necessary as Amber and Brittany chose to engage in a religious debate.

When they had finally finished eating, they got up from the Gryffindor table and started to walk back to the apartment.

"Ms. Insche. I would like a word with you."

Katie did not need the confirming glance to recognize the voice of Severus Snape.

"Yeah," she replied in a casual tone.

"I shall accompany you back to your apartment rather than discussing the matter here." With that he got up and walked around the table to reach them. The four made their way to the apartment in uncomfortable silence. Although Katie and Snape were accustomed to carrying on short conversations, Amber and Brittany spoke with him much less often. They finally reached the front door. Brittany pulled out her wand and tapped it. The door swung inward.

"I wish to speak with Ms. Insche alone," Snape requested.

"Why?" Brittany asked suspiciously after reading Katie's temporarily antisocial mood.

"From my previous statement, I would think that it would be obvious that this matter is between Ms. Insche and myself," Snape replied coldly.

"She'll tell us what you talk about anyway," Brittany stated, letting her curiosity get the best of her.

"Since you know that's true, Brittany, is this really worth fighting over?" Katie asked impatiently before anyone else could speak.

"Yeah, ok," Brittany relented. She and Amber went into their bedrooms, allowing Katie and Snape to have their discussion.

"As you probably know, I have heard the stories about your class's boggarts. I wish to ask you about yours. Who were the corpses?"

Katie paused just long enough to muse over Snape's blunt manner. Most would have broached the subject delicately, but not this man.

"My parents," she answered directly.

"Your biggest fear is seeing your parents' dead bodies?"

"No. It's seeing their dead bodies walking around and coming towards me with looks on their faces like they were completely insane. It's kind of like being afraid of inferi, because they are my parents acting different from the way they normally act."

Snape frowned: half in contemplation, half in understanding. Though his relationship with his parents had not been a good one, he knew enough about this girl to realize that seeing her boggart would be a painful experience. He had a strange desire to apologize, not oly for this incident but for everything that this young girl had faced. Yet he could not bring himself to do it.

"They… they would not want to hurt you," he managed to say. He looked at her pleadingly, willing her to read his true apology in his black eyes that had lost some of their coldness. He saw her looking back at him, struggling to interpret the expression on his face. He realized that her disability would not allow it. Sadness suddenly filled him—not pity, rather a feeling of disappointment that she would never be able to master this form of communication.

"I know they wouldn't," Katie whispered. Severus realized this would be the best place to end the conversation. He stood up, and slowly walked towrd the door. Katie rose as well, intending to show him out. As he opened the door, he looked back at Katie.

"Thank you," she said quietly yet sincerely. He looked at her for a moment longer, thankful for her confirmation. After only a few short seconds, he turned away,walking slowly towards his dungeon. He noticed that she waited awhile before closing the door behind him.


	26. Chapter 26: Lightening the Mood

Chapter 26

Lightening the Mood

The room was packed; members were scattered throughout the maze of seats that had to be created for their accommodation. Katie frowned with slight displeasure as she looked upon the scene of chaos. No one had been placed in their proper sections, people were screaming at each other from across the room, and a first year was standing on top of a chair trying to perform some kind of jig without falling head first into the crowd surrounding him.

"QUIET!" Katie yelled, for she knew that nothing else would work. Immediately, everyone looked around to see that the thunderous command eminated from the short choir director. Shock filled every face. Brittany smiled in fond reminiscence.

"Thank you," Katie said in her normally soft tone. "Now, will you all please sit in your sections. I have a really important announcement to make."

She watched the group assemble itself into a more organized form. Surprisingly, this took next to no time.

"Ok. Well, as you know, Hogwarts is being gaurded by dementors this year. Since that means we probably have a gloomy year ahead of us, I thought it would be fun to abandon the usual two concerts this year. Instead, I think we should perform a musical in the spring."

"No way am I doing that!" a fifth year Ravenclaw yelled from the back row, "I already get enough grief from my friends from being a boy in a choir." There were mutters of agreement from many of the other members.

"That's exactly why we are joining with another group this year," Katie informed.

As if exactly on cue, the door opened, and Amber led her band into the room. They took the seats that remained.

"We won't be doing the usual musical that has several leading roles. The one I have chosen is _The Phantom of the Opera_. (Author's Note: if you do not know the plot of this musical, I would strongly suggest looking it up at /title/tt0293508/) This is a musical that is full of passion and drama. It also has some murder and fight scenes," she added excidedly trying to peak the boys' interest. "I have some plot outlines here for you. If you still aren't interested in singing, please go see Amber about joining the orchestra."

"I thought she had a band going," a girl blurted out in confusion.

"She did, but now, since it is performing more classical pieces and has string instruments in it, it is an orchestra. Will you all please come get your outlines?"

The students stood up and headed for a table that held a large stack of papers. When each student had an outline, Katie waited for them to read the plot. When she noticed that they had finished, she had those that were not interested in even playing minor roles in the musical raise their hands. They joined the orchestra on either instruments that they knew how to play or those that were needed.

"Ok. The orchestra is going to have their regular practice in the next room while we rehearse in here. Eventually, we'll start our rehearsals together." The orchestra followed Amber to the room just to the right of the choir room. About half of the members were still left.

"I'm going to let you all out early tonight, because we can't hold a proper rehearsal until I know who is playing each part. I'd like you to look over the plot and see which character you might like to play." The members left upon their dismissal, many talking happily of the parts they would like to have.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yes! You finally poasted the auditions!" Brittany ran over to the sign tacked to a bulliten board in the entrance hall. "I knew it!"

"Geez, will you shut the hell up," Billy Swift called from the top of the marble staircase.

"No, You don't get it! I'm Christine!" Brittany cried.

"Big fuckin' deal. Who the hell would wanna be in some stupid-ass shit like that anyway."

"You know even your childish little insults can't bring me down now 'cause I got the part! The lead part!"

"You are such a stupid bith," Billy said loudly, "She probably gave you the part just because you're fuckin' friends, not because you're any good."

"Oh yeah," Brittany challenged smiling sweetly at her. Then she began to sing a song from the musical itself. Her voice was so powerful that everyone in the vicinity stopped their conversations to stare in awe at the young girl. Her voice was beautiful—not in an operatic or even a pop sense, but in a style that was all her own; the dynamic range her lungs and stomach muscles brought forth showed the true emotional depth of the piece. Everyone was astonished, even Billy.

"Yeah, what the fuck ever," Billy sneared when Brittany had finished, "You sure as hell coulda done a lot better."

Brittany didn't even reply. She looked at Billy, a large smile plastered on her face; then she spun on her heals in a turn reminiscent of a beauty pageant contestant and walked passed Billy with her nose held high in the air. Though Katie didn't entirely approve of her arrogant gestures, she couldn't help but smirk, for Billy Swift had most definitely been bested.

"Ooh, I forgot to check, who's playing the phantom and Roul?" Amber asked curiously.

"Well, Roul is played by Lee Jordan, and Roger Davies is playing the phantom," Katie answered.

"Roger Davies? Isn't he that guy who goes out with Fleur than Cho?" Brittany asked distastefully.

"Yeah well, he was the best out of everyone there," Katie answered in an undertone, "Maybe a lot of practice will help."


	27. Chapter 27: Sleeping Bags?

Chapter 27

Sleeping Bags?

Katie, Brittany, and Amber returned from their day's journey to Hogsmead, their cheeks stinging from the brisk temperature outside.

"I can't believe after all that we've done today, we're still going to have the Halloween Feast," said Amber yawning with contented exhaustion.

'Yeah, I know," Katie commented feeling both excited and displeased about the coming prospect.

"A perfect end to an awesome day," Brittany beamed. It was easy for the other two to tell that the thought of aattending a highly populated event had no negative sides for the social butterfly; they, on the other hamd, would much prefer to spend the night by the fire in their apartment perhaps reading a thrilling novel or watching an engaging film.

They dropped their shopping bags off in the apartmment and headed for the Great Hall. Fortunately for Katie and Amber, the feast seemed to pass quickly. Also, Katie had been allowed to cook some of the dishes, so they enjoyed the spicy cousine.

"Oohh, and now we get to spend the night with everyone else," Brittany smirked mischeviously.

"Oh damn it, you're right," Katie responded glumly.

"What are you talking about? It's gonna be really cool. Plus, when the teachers leave, it'll be interesting to see who hooks up," Brittany continued blissfully.

"Oh please," said Amber, "Why would we wanna watch that?"

"Anyway, I think there will always be at least one chaparone," Katie informed.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Brittany admitted down-heartedly.

"Should we even bother walking back to the apartment?" Amber asked.

"Yeah probably so they don't think that we knew this type of thing would happen," Brittany answered.

When the meal had finished, they walked to the apartment, trying to decide where they would sleep later.

"I think we should sleep by Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Katie said, "That way we can ask them about what they saw at the Gryffindor protrait."

"But we already know how they saw it," Brittany argued impatientlly, "The book tells us."

"Yeah I know," Katie replied, "But if we ask them, they will never suspect us of knowing anything about what is going to happen over the next few years." She left it at that, not wishing to disclose her greatest desire to sleep next to the trio to her friends. They wouldn't understand...

"Ok," Brittany agreed, "I see your paoint."

Within the next hour all three heard the loud knocking on the apartment door. The wards Katie and Brittany had constructed to warn the three against unwanted visitors indicated that Professor McGonigall wished to speak with them. Amber opened the door.

"Will the three of you please accompany me to the Great Hall? All of the students will be sleeping there tonight. Sirius Black somehow breached the security surrounding the castle and tried to enter Gyffindor tower through the use of a knife."

"Oh my god," said Brittany in a most convincing tone of shock.

"Will we be ok?" Amber asked.

Katie tried to slide an expression of surprise onto her own face, but, as facial expressions were far from her forte, she simply stared at her feet, trying to avoid eye contact with the ever-observant professor. Fortunately, McGonigall seemed to accept this as a sort of coping mechanism Katie had developed and asked her no questions.

"The staff plans to conduct a thorough search of the castle to make sure you are in no danger," Professor McGonigall said, trying to consul three seemingly distraught teenagers. "Now please, come with me."

They folllowed her out of the apartment and to the Great Hall. When they arrived, they saw the hundreds of purple sleeping bags that Dumbledore had conjured. They spotted three lying next to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and took them immediately.

Brittany than began the interrogation of the three, making it seem as though McGonigall had told them nothing. Ron and Harry told the story eagerly while Hermione added in the minor details that only she could have picked up. The three listened with rapt attention, not wanting to appear as if they had asked just to make conversation. The talk was cut short however when Percy walked up to them and ordered them to quiet down because other students were trying to sleep.

"No one's trying to slep yet!" Katie yelled indignantly over the tumolt of the other conversations around them, "The lights haven't even been turned out yet!"

"Well, they're going out now!" said Percy, his nose held high, "And I would strongly advise you to discontinue your rude backtalk. If I hear it again, I shall have to inform Professor McGonigall. As Head Boy I do belieeve that this would certainly fall under my responsibilities."

"Yeah, yeah, ok," Katie cut in, not in the mood to be lectured on respect by someone who was younger than herself.

"Five points from Gryffendor," Percy tried.

"Hmm," Katie smirked, "And all this time I thought only teachers could deduct house points."

"That is quite correct," a velvety voice replied.

"Professor Snape," Percy began, "I was simply informing Ms. Insche of her proper place as a student and of mine as the Head Boy."

"Continue with your duties, Mr. Weasley," Snape commanded coldly.

"But sir," Percy began.

"Now," Snape hissed. Percy walked off, shooting a glare at Katie over his shoulder.

"He gave me a look didn't he?" Katie asked.

"He did glare at you, yes," Snape answered.

"I love when people give me looks," Katie smirked. Snape raised an eyevroq. "They actually think that they can make me feel something by looking at me in a way that I can't even see. What he doesn't understand is that he would be getting his revenge in a more effective way by yelling at me. Looks mean nothing." Katie saw the corner of Snape's mouth twitch upward before he walked away.

Hours later, Katie was still lying awake. She knew little sleep would be found tonight with having to listen to students' snoring and the whispered conversations between the teachers. She then saw the small group she had been looking for the whole night: Snape, Percy, and Dumbledore. They were close enough for her to purposefully overhear their conversation. She listened carefully, not wanting to miss any slight tonal inflection. The conversation was word for word, almost as if they had spent hours memorizing the passage in the third book. The words meant little to Katie though. She longed to hear the voices, or more acurately, the voice. It finally ended, but she kept her eyes opened, watching carefully. When they all had left, she tried again to fall asleep. She knew that it would come now that her mind was at peace. She fell asleep quickly, her last thoughts of him.


	28. Chapter 28: The Furry Little Problem

Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own this title, but I thought it was the best thing to call the chapter.

The Furry Little Problem

"I'll be back later," Katie called over her shoulder as she prepared to leave the apartment.

"Where are you going?" Brittany yelled after her.

"For another walk." She put the earbuds back into her ears and adjusted her iPod so it would fit comfortably in her hand. She knew this had to be a quick walk due to the early curfew, but just the hope of running into him again made dealing with the slight anxiety entirely worth it. She headed in the general direction of his quarters, not wanting to be too obvious or seem too eager. Before she could descend the necessary staircase, however, she heard someone call her name. To her dismay, it was not the deep, sensual one she had wanted to hear, but rather a hoarse tenor. She turned to face the man only to see Professor Lupin.

"Yes," she answered, slightly confused by his sudden interest in her.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" he asked mildly, sounding more curious than accusing.

"I'm just taking a walk," she answered honestly, "Don't worry, I'll be back by curfew."

"Well, that is in the next five minutes," he answered, an eyebrow raised in slight disbelief. "Are you sure you were only taking a walk? There wasn't someone you were going to meet, was there?"

"_He actually thinks I'm trying to sneak out past the curfew so I can meet some teenager and do what, have a make-out session? Blech."_

"No, sir, really. I just came out to take a walk and lost track of the time," she answered sincerely, for this was at least ninety percent of the truth.

"Very well," he said slowly, "I will walk you back to your apartment then. I wanted to discuss some of your essays with you."

"They're ok, aren't they?" Katie asked anxiously, instant concern about maintaining good grades flooding her mind.

"Well, yes, they are very good, almost… too good."

"_Is this bastard accusing me of plagiarism?"_

"Compared with your peers, your writing seems much more developed and mature. If you were in seventh year this would not concern me, but as you are only thirteen years old I must wonder about where some of your more obscure ideas and poetic sentences come from."

"I write my own stuff," Katie replied angrily.

"Perhaps I would be more convinced of this if your last sentence had been put more eloquently."

'So I don't speak very well when I'm mad," Katie began immediately on the defensive, "That doesn't mean I can't write well."

"I really would like to believe you," Lupin said calmly, "But I must tell you that even in my seventh year class, there is maybe one student who writes essays that are as good as yours."

"I can prove it to you," Katie said, suddenly struck by an idea, "When we get back to the apartment, I'll show you some things I have written on my computer. Amber and Brittany can confirm that I've actually written them."

"I think that will work perfectly well," Lupin concented.

"_Thank God."_

When they reached the apartment, Katie led him into the room the three had placed their computers in.

"Hold on just a second," she muttered as she started the system and went to her documents. "Ok, read any of these that you want."

Lupin sat in the desk chair and began to peruse the documents. Katie waited impatiently, wondering which ones he had selected, what he thought of them, and if they would suffice as ample proof of her writing abilities. Finally, he swivvled the chair to face her.

"These are certainly very good pieces of writing. I believe now that you are indeed writing your own essays. I do have one question though. In one of the documents, you wrote of a birthday where you received a bracelet composed of three strands—one of silver, one of gold, and one of bronze—that were braided together. You said that the woman who gave it to you had a dream that your dead parents visited her and told her to buy it for you so that you could always remember that there is never a moment when you are not with them. I know this is a true story, for I have seen you wearing the bracelet. However, in the story, you claim that you received this bracelet for your twentieth birthday. I do not understand how this is possible when you are only thirteen now."

"_Shit."_

"I, um, I put the wrong age by mistake."

"Are you sure that is true?" Lupin asked, "Because I overheard Professor Dumbledore talking with Professor Snape of how your parents are still alive. Since that must be true, then you would have written this story as mere entertainment only. And if that is true, then why would your answer to my last question involve a mistake in the age you were instead of a simple explanation of your intent to entertain rather than inform?"

"Because," Katie began, knowing there was absolutely no way out of this now, "I did write that piece to inform. I don't know how much else I can tell you. Can you please just leave it at that and forget that this conversation ever happened?"

"Why?" Lupin asked concerned, "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Katie responded making a mental note to tread very carefully, "I'm just under orders from Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape not to tell anyone."

"Are your parents alive or dead?" Lupin asked calmly.

"I, Idon't know," Katie answered, not wanting to go down this dangerous road until she had a chance to talk to Dumbledore and Snape.

"If you are as close to them as you seem to be from your story, how can you not know?"

"Because, I never thought of things in a particular way before," Katie answered cryptically.

"What does that mean?" Lupin asked.

"I can't tell you," she answered shortly, "Look, if you don't tell anyone about this," she began with a sudden burst of inspiration, "I won't tell anyone your secret either."

"What do you mean?" Lupin asked, his face losing just the slightest bit of color.

"I'm talking about your furry little problem," Katie said quietly.

"How could you know about that?"

"I have my ways," Katie answered mysteriously, "So will you please let me keep my secret now?"

"I think you and I need to visit Professor Dumbledore. Come on." Lupin got up and strode toward the apartment door. Katie didn't know whether to feel relieved or nervous about the intense conversation she knew was soon to come.

When they reached the spiral staircase, Lupin allowed Katie walk ahead of him. At the door, she turned to look at him expectedly; she would not knock on the Headmaster's door when a professor was with her. He understood the visual cue and moved forward to knock.

"Enter," said the all-too-familiar old voice. The two walk inside, Katie hoping that this would not take long as she really did not feel like explaining the entire situation yet again.

"Remus, is there something I can do for you?"

"Well, I just came from Ms. Insche's apartment where I found out that she is keeping some secret involving her parents. When I tried to question her about it, she told me that if I did not mention it again, she would tell no one that I am a werewolf. I want to know two things: first, how does she know what I am, and second, what secret is she keeping from perhaps all of us?"

"Do not press the matter, Lupin," a cold voice from the shadows commanded. Katie looked to her right to see professor Snape standing close to a tall bookshelf. She tried to let her eyes meet his so tthat she could thank him silently.

"Severus," Dumbledore said calmly, "He was bound to find out anyway, so I believe that it would be in everyone's best interest if I tell him the whole story. Remus, Ms. Insche came to Hogwarts at age twenty. Her friends came at ages eighteen and nineteen. Until that point, they had lived in the Muggle World. While there, they came across a set of books, all with the name Harry Potter in the title. These books describe in detail Harry's seven years at Hogwarts. Well, I must assume all seven do for I have only read the first two books. I am also assuming that in one of these books, it is said that you are a werewolf. Is this correct, Ms. Insche?" Katie nodded. "As for the secret regarding her parents, I do not know what this is."

"Professor Lupin said that he heard you and Professor Snape talking about my parents still being alive. Is this true?" Katie asked softly.

"It is true," Dumbledore confirmed, "Since you seem to have gone back in time, your parents will still be alive until the dates of each of their deaths. However, I know what you are thinking, and I absolutely forbid you to go and see them. If you do, your past self may see you future self and attack, or your parents may see both of you and attack."

'That makes sense," Katie allowed, trying to find some sort of compromise, "What if I just look in on them, while they're sleeping or something?"

"No," Severus said firmly. Everyone looked at him. "They could wake to see her spying on them, which could create the same problems."

"But that won't necessarily happen," Katie protested, longing to see her parents one last time.

"The answer is still no," Severus confirmed.

"Severus, could you please escort Ms. Insche back to her apartment while I explain the situation to Remus in more detail?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape replied. The two left the office in silence. Katie waited until they were completely out of earshot before speaking.

"I don't understand," she began, "Why were you so insistent on me not going to see them?"

"Because," he began slowly, "I wasn't sure how that would affect you." With that, he left her at the door, staring after him, speechless with an unfamiliar emotion racing through her.


	29. Chapter 29: December 1st Again

Chapter 29

December 1st Again

She woke early, an unusual occurance, but one that seemed inevitable for the day. Her head ached with a dull, unceasing pain. She stood up shakily, remembering what this particular day represented and hoping it would pass quickly. Though it had been several years, the consuming grief felt as though the tragedy had just taken place. She walked into the kitchen, wanting no food but only water.

"Hi Katie," Amber said cheerily, "Brittany's still asleep, but we can eat breakfast together if you, what's wrong?"

"It's the day that Mom died," Katie replied quietly.

"Oh my gosh. Are you ok?"

"It's weird," Katie said, "After she died I'd get sad once in awhile, but today it's like I'm reliving the way I felt on the day she died. I'm not hungry, and just thinking about her at all makes me cry." She raised a hand to wipe the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks. "My head is killing me too."

"Here," Amber said quietly, giving her four Tylenol. "Um, what did you do in the Muggle World on this day?"

"I went to the funeral home with my dad and my grandmother to pick out a casket and other things. Then I came home, ate a tiny lunch, and took a nap. When I woke up, my aunt and uncle came for dinner, and I talked to my aunt for awhile. Then I just went to bed."

"Good," Amber murmured in relief. She knew that at least Katie would do nothing harmful due to grief.

"I think I'm just going to try and have a normal day today. I mean, it's not like she just died. Well, she did in the U.S. but you know what I mean. It's not like I'm not used to having her gone. I think I just want to go to lunch and dinner like normal. I probably will take a nap this afternoon and go to bed early tonight."

"Do you think it would help you at all to be around other people?" Amber asked.

"It might, but what would I tell them if I just started crying out of nowhere?"

"You could just say you're sad because it's your mother's death anniversary. You don't have to tell them how old you were when she died. If they ask any questions, you can just tell them that you don't want to talk about it."

Katie considered the idea for a few minutes, weighing the pros and cons equally, for they truly could affect the entire Wizarding World if the proper precautions were not taken.

"Ok," she finally said, "Let's just go to the Gryffendor common room."

"Ok, we can just leave Brittany a note." They left the apartment and climbed the staircases that led them to the relaxing common room. Amber spoke the password when they reached the Fat Lady, and they walked inside only to see Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sitting at a table talking and studying.

"Hey, is it ok if we sit with you?" Amber asked.

"Sure," Ron replied. They took chairs: Katie's between Hermione and Ginny: Amber's between Ron and Hermione.

"So," Katie began, trying to act and feel normal, "What are you guys doing?"

"Well, they're talking, and I'm fixing their essays," Hermione answered huffily.

"Oh, would you like any help?" Katie asked enthusiastically.

"No thank you," Hermione answered. Though Katie could tell she was trying to be polite, she still caught the note of smugness in Hermione's voice.

"So you two live in an apartment with that other girl, Brittany, right?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Katie answered, "Dumbledore put us there because there was no more room in the Gryffindor dormatories."

'That is cool," Ron affirmed, "Don't you wish we could do that, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry answered longingly, "We'd have a bit more privacy."

"I think the girls are the ones who really need more privacy," Ginny said meekly.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked insensed, "You're all girls aren't you? You can get dressed in front of one another. Now boys must do some things in complete privacy."

"Like what?" Katie asked, her mind now absorbed with the feminine versus masculine debate.

"Well, erm, like, er, attending to certain, er, male needs," Ron responded.

"For your information," Katie began firmly, "Women have the exact same needs. And yes, they are just as strong."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed before glancing at Harry. Her face grew instantly crimson. Harry and Hermione just looked at each other, wanting to stay as far from this argument as possible.

"Other than their physical appearances and physical strength, there is no difference between men and women that is inborn. Any other differences are completely determined by society's ridiculous stereotypes," Katie argued psstionately. She stopped then and considered how wrong it was for her to be arguing about the human libido on her mother's death day.

"What is it?" Ginny asked as a tear appeared on Katie's cheek.

"It's just, today is my mom's death anniversary," Katie answered softly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ginny said sincerely.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked empathetically.

"Yeah," Katie answered, "I'm just sad."

"Erm, can we, er, do anything?" Ron offered awkwardly.

"Oh no," Katie answered quickly, "I just wanted to be around friends today so that I could try to forget."

"Well, would you like to join us for lunch?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Amber replied.

They talked for awhile about classes and professors. Then they moved on to getting to know one another better. Out of the four, Katie enjoyed Ginny's personality the most; She wasn't like most other girls at Hogwarts, concerned with wearing tons of makeup and being ultra feminine. Like Katie, Ginny was more androgenous than feminine or masculine.

Eventually, it was time for lunch, so Katie and Amber walked with the other four. When they got there, they saw that Brittany was waiting for them.

"Oh my god, Katie. I'm so sorry," she said in a dramatically quiet voice.

'Thank you," Katie said, not wanting to press the subject further.

"Are you hungry?" Amber asked.

"Not at all," Katie replied glumly, "But I know I have to eat something, just like I knew then." She picked up a bean burito that she had made the night before to be served at lunch today. She had picked this food specifically, because whenever she was sick, Mexican food always made her feel better, not worse like it did for most people.

"So, what did your mom die of?" Harry asked.

"She was a diabetic, and in the last year of her life her body started shutting down. Her heart couldn't take it, and she had a heart attack."

"Hey," a voice said from behind them. They turned to see Billie Swift staring at them with a strange look on her face.

"What the hell do you want?" Brittany asked coldly.

"Can I talk to you?" Billie asked Katie.

"No you can't talk to her," Brittany answered, "If you've got something to say to her, then you can say it to all of us."

"It's ok, Brittany," Katie said, "I'll be fine."

Katie got up and followed Billie to a corner in the Great Hall.

"I just wanted to say that I get it," Billie said.

"Get what?" Katie asked, completely confused.

'That it sucks that your mom died. I heard you talkin' to them about it, and I just wanted to tell you that I know what it's like."

"Well, it's not so bad. It's only her death anniversary."

"Yeah, but it still sucks," Billie confirmed, "Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that I know what it's like to have a mom who's sick and dies from it. That's how my mom died when I was seven."

"Oh wow, I'm sorry," Katie said sincerely.

"It's cool," Billie said, and left it at that.

"Well, thank you," Katie said.

"Sure," Billie replied. She turned and walked back to the Slytherin table. After a couple of seconds, Katie walked back to the Gryffindor table to join her friends.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Katie woke from her nap not feeling the slightest bit better than she did before she layed down. Her head still ached despite the sleep and Tylenol, and the sadness had not left her. It helped her immencely to be around people; it seemed as though her life in the Wizarding World could trump that of her life in the Muggle World if she was sufficiently distracted. She got out of bed, and fixed herself up for dinner. She walked with Amber and Brittany to the Great Hall, and ate the southern meal of chicken, biscuits and gravy, and corn that she had prepared the previous day. She had intentionally made the exact foods she had eaten the day her mother died for both comfort and a possible stabilizer for her physical state. It did not seem to help much, but it did not hurt either.

After dinner the three headed back to the apartment so that Katie could get a good night's sleep. As they reached the door, they noticed that Professor Snape was waiting just outside of it.

"Ms. Insche, may I have a word with you please?" he requested.

"Yes," Katie answered as Brittany and Amber continued to walk back to the apartment.

"I observed you conversing with Billie Swift at lunch, and, for once, there was no confrontation. Explain this phenomenon to me."

"Well, today is the day that my mother died in the Muggle World, so my friends and I were discussing it at lunch. I think Billie overheard us, because she asked if she could talk to me. We went to the corner, and she told me that she knew what it was like to have a mother who died from an illness. I think it was her way of saying that she was sorry for my loss, but I'm not exactly sure. It was kind of strange, because she didn't explain exactly what she was talking about. Then she just left."

Severus stood speechless for a few seconds. He had not known the exact date of her mother's death, but he could see now why she had looked different today—more tired, slightly ill, sad, lacking her usual optimistic spirit. He dragged himself away from his thoughts quickly so as to not seem as though he was uninterested in their conversation.

"I am sorry that you are affected so today," Severus said softly.

'Thank you, but was it really that noticeable?" Katie asked.

"Not to all," he admitted.

"It's like I'm reliving the entire day all over again, physically, mentally, emotionally. I hate it. I just want my life to go back to normal. Well, whatever normal is in a school of magic."

"_There is the wit. She has not lost everything."_

"I'm sure that you will return to normal soon," Severus said.

"No," Katie answered grimly, "I won't be normal for the next year. I'm about to relive the hardest year of my life all over again. The only thing that seems to help a little is being around people. It kind of helps me forget. But what's going to happen when I go into the rages? I do not want to hurt anyone."

"Nothing will happen," Severus said confidently as he stopped before her apartment door.

"How do you know?" Katie asked desperately.

"Because," Severus started, "I will not let it." Again, he walked away before she could respond.


	30. Chapter 30: Unusual Christmas Surprises

Chapter 30

Unusual Christmas Surprises

"Hey! Get up!"

The voice woke her with a start from a deep yet fitful sleep. She had been dreaming a most unwelcome dream of the year she had spent with her father, of the depressing holiday she had with him and her paternal grandparents. Suddenly she realized that she was glad to hear the voice.

"Katie! Get out of bed and get out here!" Brittany yelled, "We're not gonna wait to open these!"

"Ok, ok," she said loudly enough. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and eased herself out of it. She felt the waves of sadness flow over her mind and heart and decided to be social today.

"Merry Christmas!" Brittany and Amber yelled together. Katie had to work hard to keep a look of slight disgust at their childish behavior off of her face.

"_Am I really becoming that melancholy?"_ she asked herself.

"Merry Christmas," she answered calmly, sitting down in one of the comfortable living room chairs.

"Oooh! Open mine first!" Brittany exclaimed tossing Katie a wrapped package. She pulled off the thin paper revealing a CD from the band Evanescence.

"I know you already have the CD, but this is a first release that has bonus tracks that we were never able to get on it. It's nice to go back in time for things like this," Brittany beamed.

Thanks were given and the rest of the presents were exchanged until it was time to go to the Christmas Feast. They walked to the Great Hall in slight anticipation of the small gathering. When they arrived, they realized that no place existed where three seats were placed together. Brittany took a chair next to Ron while Amber chose the one next to a first year boy. The only remaining seat was next to Professor Snape, and Katie took it with no inkling of the dread that nearly anyone else would feel when stuck sitting there.

"Now that everyone has joined us," Dumbledore began happily, "Let the feast begin. Crackers!" He then handed the end of the cracker to Snape to tug. When the vulture-topped hat emerged, Katie gave Snape the tiniest of smirks. He glared at her, which only made her smile more. The three watched as Trelawny entered and gave her overly-dramatic speech. Brittany began laughing uncontrollably, and Amber had to kick her under the table to stop it. They then spoke of Professor Lupin; Katie was reminded that she wanted to pay him a visit later. Snape noticed some type of recognition flit across her face and breathed "What?" to her.

"Nothing," she mumbled, not wanting to get into it in front of everybody. The talk continued until the feast had ended. To Katie's displeasure, Snape had remained silent throughout the meal unless directly spoken to. As they were leaving the Great Hall, he grabbed Katie's shoulder to get her attention without getting that of anyone else.

"Hmm?" she asked in true American fashion.

"Oh, how poetic of you," Snape sneared, "I would like a word with you." Katie briefly considered walking away so that he would be forced to grab her shoulder again, but then realized how ridiculous this would be.

"Ok," she agreed, and began walking with him.

"You are going to see Lupin today, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes," Katie answered honestly.

"You will not go near his office," Snape commanded harshly.

"Oh really?" Katie asked somewhat irritated by his sudden expression of authority.

"Yes," he replied strongly, "You know what he is. He has just transformed back into a man. It is far too dangerous for you to see him today."

"Why," she challenged, "Because I'm a woman?"

"Do not be ridiculous," he demanded impatiently, "I would not allow anyone to go near him on this day, despite their gender. Being female has nothing to do with this."

"I want to see him today though to show him that he isn't forgotten on Christmas."

"I forbid it."

Katie ground her teeth in distaste, yet felt a thrill of excitement simultaneously. She pushed the latter to the back of her mind as her stubbornness took over.

"What if you came with me?" she asked, "Could I go then?"

"That would be possible; however, I doubt he is in the mood for company."

"What if I just drop his present off then?"

"Why would you buy him a present?" Snape interrogated, an eyebrow raised, "I was under the impression that the two of you were not particularly close, especially after the meeting in the Headmaster's office that occurred nearly a month ago."

"Oh, well I felt bad about that situation," Katie tried to explain, 'He was one of my favorite characters in the books, so I wanted to try and patch things over by giving him a present."

"Really?" Snape asked, an annoyed tone in his voice.

"Well, yeah," Katie answered, unsure of what else to say.

"I have been thinking about this carefully, and I have decided that it would be better if you give him the present tomorrow," Snape said firmly.

"But you just told me we could go together," Katie responded incredulously.

"I have considered the matter again and have decided against my previous statement. He will not want anyone to see him in his current state."

"Are you sure that is the real reason?" Katie questioned skeptically.

"Ms. Insche," Snape barked angrily, "I will not be spoken to like that. Now, you will walk with me back to your apartment where you will remain for the entire day."

"I'm sorry," Katie said, "I didn't mean to say that last part. I just thought you might be…"

"You thought that I might be what?"

"Um, well, nothing," Katie blustered, wanting to take her suspicions, or perhaps hopes, of his jealousy to the grave.

"You will tell me," he ordered.

"I don't have to," she countered just as strongly.

"Why would you not?" he asked stubbornly.

"I don't want to," she answered.

Snape dropped it, not wishing to get into a tiff over such a minor thing. They walked for a time in silence until they reached the apartment door.

"Remember what I told you," Snape warned, "You must stay in the apartment for the rest of the day."

"If I promise not to go see Lupin, can I leave with my friends if we decide to go somewhere?"

"Promises can be broken," Snape countered silkily.

"But the Unbreakable Vow can't," Katie said triumphantly.

Snape pondered this for a second. He knew that she must be sincere in her word if she was willing to make this vow with him.

"Very well," he relented, "I will accept your word. However, if I find that you have disobeyed my orders, there will be consiquences."

"I understand," Katie said.

"I will leave you here then," Snape said.

"Merry Christmas," Katie said softly.

"Merry Christmas," Severus spoke barely audibly. He stared at her for a moment, as if he were considering something, and then turned and walked away from the apartment.

He walked back to his quarters, deciding that next year would most likely be more appropriate. He was saddened by the way this day had turned out. He had hoped for a nice conversation, but instead he had nearly lost his temper. He removed the wards from the door to his quarters and entered his spacious living room. On the cherry coffee table sat a package wrapped in plain red paper. He picked it up and slowly unwrapped the neatly folded paper. On the top of a black box was a note that read,

I know you probably know most

of this, but I thought that you

would find it interesting from

a Muggle perspective. I hope

you like it.

Merry Christmas,

Katie Insche

Severus opened the box to reveal a collection of four tomes entitled "The Anthology of Herbal Remedies." He was astonished that a student had given him a Christmas present; they had in the past, but only if they desperately needed higher marks. She definitely did not, so why had she bothered giving him anything? He decided to return to her apartment and thank her. He also thought that now would be an appropriate time.

He reached the apartment and knocked on the door. Fortunately, Katie answered it.

"May I have a word with you outside?" he asked.

"Sure," Katie answered, stepping out the door.

"I wanted to thank you for the anthology," Severus said quietly.

"Oh, you're welcome," Katie replied beaming, "I'm glad you liked it."

"Er, I have this for you," Severus said, handing her a slim unwrapped box. She opened it slowly. Inside sat a choker made of hematite with a hematite cross dangling from it. Her face glowed with quiet pleasure.

"How did you know?" she asked, "I had a necklace like this when I was younger, but it broke. I've always missed it."

"I saw the memory of it breaking in one of our Occlumency lessons," severus answered.

"Thank you so much," Katie said softly, "I love it."

"I'm pleased," Severus answered. They looked at each other for a moment before reality sunk in once again.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow at lunch then," Katie said hoarsely.

"Yes," Severus confirmed, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Katie answered, the thought of her Muggle life completely absent from her mind for the first time since her mother's death.


	31. Chapter 31: Occlumency Success

Chapter 31

Occlumency Success

"Oh yeah, I can show you when we get back. It's really easy once you get used to it."

"Ok, sounds cool. But is it realy that bad at first?"

"Oh no, you only feel a little different until you get used to the sensation."

"What the fuck are you guys talkin' about?"

Katie and Amber turned simultaneously to see Billie Swift standing by the Gryffindor table evesdropping on their conversation.

"I was just saying that I'd show Amber how ot do some magic when we get home," Katie answered.

"How the fuck could you show he magic? I mean, you're not that fuckin' good at it to begin with."

"Whatever," Katie responded not wanting to cause another confrontation with this girl.

"Oh my god! I did it! I'm done! I finally did it!" People stared openly at Brittany as she ran towards the Gryffindor table screaming with giddy excitement.

"Calm down," Katie said, "What happened?"

"I finally did Occl- ooh," she broke off as she noticed Billie standing by her friends.

"What the fuck did you do, bitch?" Billie asked.

"Nothing," Brittany answered, "Now go away and mind your own damn business."

"It's a fuckin' free country man. I don't have to fuckin' leave."

"Um, actually, I don't think this is a free country, or even a free world.," Katie remarked, "I mean, I don't know much about wizarding law, but after reading the Daily Prophet for a few years, I'm pretty sure that, since there's obviously no freedom of the press, the Wizarding World isn't free..:"

"What in the hell are you talkin' about?" Billie asked.

"Nothing," Katie replied, "I'm rolling my eyes by the way. Since you don't know me I need to explain what that means. My blindness makes my eyes move uncontrollably, so I can't roll my eyes. Whenever I want to roll them at somebody, like right now, I have to tell them."

"Dude, that is really fucked up," Billie said bluntly.

"I don't mind it much."

"Well, whatever. I gotta fuckin' go. Plus, I don't wanna hang out with you bitches no more."

"That's fine with us," Brittany said coldly. As Billie walked away, Brittany's face grew happier.

"So I've got to talk to you when we get back to the apartment. Are you guys almost done?"

"Yeah, what's going on?" Amber asked.

"I can't tell you here, but I'm so happy!"

They got up from the table after a couple of minutes and walked back to the apartment. Brittany immediately pulled out her wand and hurridly disabled the wards.

"Ok, come in!" she squeaked.

"What?" Katie and Amber asked in unison when the door had closed.

"I'm all done with Occlumency!" Brittany cired.

"That's so cool!" Amber yelled back, "Now we don't have any more lessons to go to at night."

"I wonder if he'll just let me stop now," Katie mused, "I've been doing the lessons for three and a half years now, and I still can't even come close ot blocking him from my mind."

"Or maybe he'll give you extra lessons," Brittany smirked.

"Maybe," Katie thought, not disliking the idea in the slightest.

A knock suddenly came upon the door. Katie went to answer it and was instantly face to face with Snape. She thought to herself how strange it was that the three were just talking about him and then he appeared at the apartment.

"I would like to speak with you outside about our Occlumency lessons," he said to Katie. She walked out the door without answering and closed it behind her.

"As you undoubtably know, both of your friends have succeeded in their attempts at Oclumency. I have informed the Headmaster of this, and he has suggested that we add at least another night a week to the lessons. For some reason he views your learning Occlumency as a necessity. Therefore, I have come to see which night or nights you are available."

Katie's heart seemed to stop beating before it performed a high leap in her chest.

"Um, well, Saturday night is really the best for me, but I have choir rehearsles scheduled for then. It wouldn't be fair to the choir if I changed the meeting time now."

"We could schedule meetings at 9:30 on Saturday nights if you would like. I seem to recall that we had a conversation about our most productive times of day. If I remember correctly, we were both drawn to the night."

"Yes, that's true," Katie replied in a choked voice, not wanting her emotions to spill over into it.

"Would 9:30 on Saturday nights work then?" Severus asked.

"Yes, definitely," Katie answered.

"I shall see you tomorrow then for the first lesson of this week," Snape said.

"I look forward to it," Katie said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Severus looked at her; he was unable to bring himself to speak to the visually thirteen year old girl, but he let his mind form the words that he longed to let fall from his lips before he walked away.

"_So do I."_


	32. Chapter 32: Unsuspected Patronus

Chapter 32

Unsuspected Patronous

"Ok, that was really good," Katie said enthusiastically, "Next time, just try to put a little more emotion into it. This is a very dramatic part of the musical, so try to let the audience feel your pain. I'll see you all next week." The choir members left the strange music room, and Katie hurridly gathered up her stack of papers and shoved them unceremoniously into her thin notebook. She crammed the book into the hollow created by placing her left hand on the place slightly below her left hip. She left the room quickly so that she would reach Snape's office by 9:30. By the time she was at his office door, she had only five minutes to spare. She decided to knock now rather than to wait.

"Enter," his deep voice called. Katie turned the knob and pushed the door inward.

"Ms. Insche," Snape began formally, "I would like to try something different tonight. Instead of our usual Occlumency lessons, I believe that meditation may be the key to unlocking your mental block to Occlumency."

"Meditation?"

"Yes,. It will allow you to open your mind up to new possibilities. However, it proves impossible inside. We shall have to walk to a clearing I discovered in the Forbidden Forest."

"Ok," Katie replied, wondering why exactly they had moved from formal lessons in his office to calming walks to clearings in the forest.

They left the office and walked through the Hogwarts corridors to the front doors. Snape opened them and the two walked through. When they were outside, Snape began to speak.

'The first step in the meditation process can be taken while walking. I want you to tense every small group of muscles in your body separately. You will start at the top of your head. Keep that group of muscles tensed for the count of five, and then slowly relax them. Work your way down from there. You may begin now."

Katie started with the muscles in the top of her head. She counted to five in her head while they were tensed and then slowly allowed the tension to ease. She then moved to her upper face, to her lower face, her neck, her shoulders, her upper arms, her forearms, her hands, her chest, her stomach, her pelvis and lower back, her thighs, her calves, and finally her feet. By the time she had finished, she realized that they were standing next to a clearing with a stone protrusion that could serve as a bench.

"Now, I'd like you to sit here," Snape said, pointing to the stone bench, "For the second step, I would like you to close your eyes and picture a place that you find entirely relaxing. Once you have a complete image in your mind, place yourself within it; allow yourself to feel, smell, see, hear, and even taste the environment."

The first place Katie chose was a Hawaiian beach, complete with palm trees, a sweet drink, and a light breaze. She imagined herself stretched out on a towel, soaking up sun. She let herself hear the waves and the gulls, trying to emerce herself in the blissful tranquility. Snape's voice broke in from a long distance. "Now, I want you to try and keep me from entering your mind. One, two, three, Legilimens."

Katie's mind immediately began to team with memories. She was six, and with her parents in the water of a Mississippi beach. She was eight, sitting at a cruise ship restaurant sipping a fruity, virgin drink. She was eleven, lying on a deck chair by a swimming pool, absorbing the sun while listening to music on her portable CD player.

Snape pulled back. He realized this attempt also had been fruitless.

"The calming scene you selected was apparently not strong enough. Try to transport yourself in every way possible to a different place. This does not have to be a place you have been to before, but rather one that you have always longed to visit or even stay in perminently."

Katie could think of only one place she had never visited that she longed to be at the moment. She closed her eyes tightly, picturing a dimly lit room with a large turned-down bed in its center. The head of it rested against the shortest of the two choices of walls, while the other three sides remained open, as if ready for anything. She felt herself walk out of the ajoining bathroom, imagining the cool, smooth silk of her seductive night dress caressing her skin. She smelled nothing but a faint masculine musk coming from the figure sitting quietly in the corner. As she walked into the dim light, the figure rose and hummed contentedly at the sight of his prize. She allowed a small smile to form, not wanting to show how eager she was, well, at least not yet.

"One, two, three Legilimens," Snape's voice sounded from far away.

But before the spell began to take effect, a sudden, penetrating cold swept over the clearing. Snape sat bult upright, positioning his wand with expert speed. Katie withdrew hers as well, knowing and dreading what was coming. She immediately brought herself back to the place of meditation, trying to recall exactly how far down the sheets had been on the bed, the precise scent of the musk, and an accurate measure of the dim lighting.

"Do you know how to cast the Patronus Charm?" Snape asked tensely.

"I've never done it before, but yes," Katie replied honestly.

"If you have never performed the charm how do you know-" but a rattling breath abruptly cut him off. "Now," he commanded.

"Expecto Patronum!" they yelled together. The silver doe burst forth from Snape's wand while a four-legged animal came from Katie's. At first, she could not identify it. It was unlike any Patronus that she had ever seen or heard of in the books. While it was the customary bright white-ish silver, bands of a darker color splashed across it in a pattern that looked exactly like stripes. She did not ponder this, however, because she knew how vital concentration was at this moment. They watched as the dementor came closer and then retreated when the Patronem drew nearer to it. When the dementor had gone and the warmth had returned to the air, Snape released the charm, and his Patronus died. Katie tried to let hers go as well, but she felt a strange tie to the creature as if it were an essential piece of her core being. She walked closer to it, stretching out her hand to touch it's head. She got so close that she was able to recognize a slight rippling in the form that looked exactly like fur.

"What are you doing?" Snape asked, causing Katie to jump and lose concentration. Her Patronus shimmered for a moment and then faded into oblivion.

"What did you do that for?" Katie spat angrily at Snape. She realized that she was completely livid with no apparent cause.

"There was no need to continue casting the Patronus," Snape defended, raising an eyebrow, "The dementor had already gone. Also, you cannot touch any Patronus, even your own. It has been proven impossible."

"I could have touched it," Katie said through gritted teeth, "I know I could have. If you had just given me a couple of seconds!"

"Oh do tell me what horrible tragedy has sparked your anger now," Snape requested boredly, knowing that there would not have been enough time for the dementor to have taken any of her positive emotions away.

"I don't know," Katie huffed, "But I am livid right now." She balled her hands into fists and began pacing around the clearing. Under normal circumstances she would have spoken out loud to herself about the issue, but she could not discover what the issue was. She sank down onto the rock and placed her head in her hands. She tried to calm herself, knowing that her sudden anger was completely irrational. Eventually, her anger diminished enough for reason to flood her mind once more.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly to Snape, "I wish I could explain that, but I don't know what happened. This has never happened to me before. I mean, I've been that angry before, but there has always been a reason behind it."

"Was it one of your rages?" Severus asked calmly.

"No," Katie said after thinking it over for a second, "That was a different feeling. When I had my rages, I wanted to hurt and destroy anything that I could get my hands on. This time, I felt angry because it seemed like, when the Patronus went away, I had something very important taken away from me. When the Patronus was there, I felt like some part of me had woken up, like if I touched it, I would understand what that was and I would have some kind of fulfillment. I could see how disappointment could come when my concentration broke, or even annoyance, but for me to get that angry over this was ridiculous. If it is that important, all I have to do is cast it again. Expecto Patronum!"

Nothing happened.

"What the," she muttered looking down at her wand, "Expecto Patronum!" she cried again, allowing the meditation scene to completely take over her conscious mind.

Again, nothing happened, not even the tiniest flicker.

"Why won't it work?" Katie asked Snape, hoping that his years of experience in the Wizarding World would come to her aid.

"If you were applying the same control over your happy memory, I have absolutely no idea," he mused.

"I was doing the exact same thing I tried when the dementor was coming," Katie said, "I don't understand."

"I have no explanations," Snape said, "But it is unimportant as long as you are able to cast it when a dementor is near. I think we shall end the lesson here for tonight. The forest is clearly not safe at this time. I will walk you back to the apartment."

When they reached the apartment door, Katie turned to face Snape. "Um, what was my Patronus?" she asked, "I couldn't tell."

"It was a tiger," Snape answered, "Given your temper, I am not entirely surprised."

Katie smiled at the smirk she heard in his voice rather than saw on his face. "I never would have thought of that. I was sure it would be some kind of cat, but a tiger?" She then wondered what this connection to her Patronus meant. Was it just the Patronus or was there a special meaning in this particular animal?

"A cat is such a femine and weak creature," Severus began disgustedly, "The tiger suits you much better. While still possessing a feminine elagence, it is also a wise hunter, a strong being, and a fierce fighter. In fact, I believe it suits you perfectly."

'Thank you," Katie whispered, unable to speak louder due to her delight at such a high compliment from such an uncomplimentary man.

Severus smiled at her. Katie longed for the conversation to continue, but somehow knew that it was over.

"Good night," she said pleasantly.

"It truly was," Severus replied softly. He turned on his heels and walked away from the apartment, leaving Katie with her heart seeming to skip every other beat.


	33. Chapter 33: The Old Piece of Parchment

Chapter 33

Disclaimer: this chapter contains the lyrics to "To Love You More" by Celine Dion; I do not own them.

The Old Piece of Parchment

Katie awoke to a loud knocking on her door. "Come in," she said, her voice still raspy from sleep. The door swung inward and Brittany walked in. She rushed over to Katie's bed clutching her throat. Katie sat up immediately, realizing something was wrong. "What is it?" Brittany did not answer; she just clutched her throat tighter and started shaking her head.

"Are you hurt?" Katie asked urgently. Brittany shook her head again. "Oh, no, please don't tell me this is what I think it is," Katie said worriedly, "Not the day before the concert." Brittany frowned deeply and nodded.

"YOU LOST YOUR VOICE THE DAY BEFORE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PERFUORM THE LEAD IN THE MUSICAL?"

Once again, Brittany nodded.

"Oh this is just great," Katie began, rising quickly from her bed in order to pace around her room. "I didn't get an understudy for you because you said you'd do it even if you didn't feel well. You've never lost your voice before, so why in the hell did you have to today? Ugh, well, I don't know who can play the part, who has your range or even your training. The only thing I can think of is… But only one day to work on it? Is it even possible… Well, I guess there's no Hogsmead for me today."

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Severus Snape walked briskly through the Hogwarts corridors. He had visited the familiar entrance of the apartment only to discover that she was not there. He was growing impatient now; he had to speak with her immediately, for the situation was too urgent to put off. Unfortunately, he had not found her. The notion that she might be asking a professor for help in the staff room came to him. He quickly changed his direction and walked to the now promising room. He got to the door slightly out of breath. He paused for a second to try and figure out who was inside.

"Well," Dumbledore began enthusiastically, "This is quite a delightful surprise. When you told me of the situation, I had a feeling that this would be exactly what you needed to ease the tension a bit."

"Track number eight, right?" Flitwick asked. There was a slight pause in which Snape assumed that the person Flitwick was speaking to nodded.

"But Headmaster," Trelawny began dramatically, "I have just seen-"

"Be quiet, Sybil," McGonigal said harshly, "Just listen."

Snape then heard music composed of a violin and a guitar. He stood, frozen, not wanting to interrupt what was to come, but rather deciding to listen further. Then he heard the voice.

_Take me back into the arms I love._

_Need me like you did before._

_Touch me once again, and remember when, there was no one that you wanted more._

Severus was drawn to the strange voice. A girl sang, her voice definitely on key, matching every pitch perfectly.

_Don't go, you know you'll break my heart._

_She won't love you like I will._

_Love the one who'll stay when she walks away, and you know I'll be standing here still._

_I'll be waiting for you, here inside my heart._

_I'm the one who wants to love you more._

_Can't you see I can give you everything you need?_

_Let me be the one to love you more._

Severus listened even more intently. The chorus showed that she had at least a decent range; unfortunately, there were not enough notes to tell just how extensive it was.

_See me as if you never knew._

_Hold me so you can't let go._

_Just believe in me. I will make you see all the things that your heart needs to know._

_I'll be waiting for you, here inside my heart._

_I'm the one who wants to love you more._

_Can't you see I can give you everything you need?_

_Let me be the one to love you mere._

Now that he had realized how pleasant her voice was, Severus understood what the meaning of the song was and the amount of emotion the singer put into it. It was easy for him to tell that, whoever this woman was, she truly meant every word she sang.

_Some way all the love that we have can be saved._

_Whatever it takes we'll find a way._

_Believe me. I will make you see all the things that your heart needs to know._

_I'll be…_

_Waiting for you-_

"Professor Snape!"

Snape whirled around, angry at the sudden interruption. It was Marcus Flint.

"Yes," he said curtly.

"I was wondering if I could have a note of your permission to book the Quiddich pitch every night next week. Oliver Wood has become obsessed with the Gryffindor team's victory, so-"

"Yes, yes Flint. You may have the note," Snape snapped. Flint stood still for a second, but Snape did not move.

"Well, er, sir, the note? Don't we need to go to your office so that you can-"

"Yes," Snape spat, "Come and get the stupid note." Still muttering darkly to himself, Snape strode in the direction of his office, Flint following in his wake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Albus Dumbledore sat stunned at what he had just heard. "There was so much emotion in that. Was this about a way in which you are feeling now, or perhaps dedicated to someone?"

"Yes, mostly" she answered.

"It was beautiful," Flitwick complimented. The other professors murmured their agreement.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"Now I think you are more prepared. You may go," Dumbeldore permitted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Snape had finished writing Flint's bloody note, he decided to try the apartment once more. He knocked yet again on the wooden door. To his pleasure, she answered it.

"I need to speak with you, Ms. Insche," he said sternly.

"Ok," Katie answered, "But I'm really busy. Brittany lost her voice and our concert is tomorrow. She won't be able to sing the lead, so I have to get all of this worked out as soon as possible."

"I shall make the visit brief then," Severus said kindly, "I just wanted to know about an old piece of parchment that Potter has. When I was at school here, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black had a map of the castle and its hidden passages that they made and carried around with them everywhere. I want to know if that is what is on the parchment of Potter's."

"Like I've said many times before," Katie started impatiently, "I can't tell you. It is in the book, and you can read it after the events of this year take place. To stop more questions I will tell you this: what is on that piece of parchment is not important. Even if you never find out, it won't affect you in the slightest. I know that you would like to argue about this with me, because I too like to argue about these kinds of things, but can we please do it later. I've got to get back to work if I'm going to pull tomorrow's concert off."

"I understand," Severus concented compassionately, "But just know that this conversation is only paused; it is not over.'

"I figured that," Katie said smiling.

"Goodnight then," Severus said, walking towards the door.

"Goodnight, and I'm sorry that we can't have a better conversation. We can definitely finish it later though."

"I look forward to it," Severus said.

"Me too," Katie said after him as he walked quickly out of the apartment.


	34. Chapter 34: Another Phantom

Chapter 34

Another Phantom

Severus Snape sat at the staff table in the Great Hall, looking around impatiently for any sign that the pointless chatter would sease and a pleasant hush would fall over the room. He looked around at the crowd of students finishing their meal then at the stage that had been placed at the opposite end of the hall for the occasion. He pulled a platter towards him without thinking to check what it was. His eyebrows raised when he saw that it was covered in short, fat cylenders that seemed to be rolled in a similar fashion to the burritos Katie had made a few times. Yet the color was different and the texture of the outer layer seemed rather flaky. He then noticed a small piece of paper taped to the platter that read:

Chinese pork egg rolls, spicy but not hot

Snape realized that the note was written in Katie's dreadful handwriting. He then wondered what "not hot" meant. Did it mean that they were to be served cold? He used the tongs to place an egg roll on his plate. Gingerly, he picked it up, noticing that it was warm enough to be considered a hot dish. His curiosity peaked, he took a small bite of the food. It was indeed spicy, but not at all in an unpleasant way. He now understood that the "hot" remark referred to the effect certain spices have on a person's taste buds.

Suddenly, the lights in the Great Hall began to dim. As Snape had predicted, the crowd began to quiet down slightly until near silence filled the room. Amber walked onto the stage then; Snape assumed that she was to introduce the musical.

"Wizards and witches of Hogwarts. The Hogwarts Choir and Hogwarts Orchestra are now going to perform for your entertainment, _The Phantom of the Opera_. There have been two major cast changes. Brittany Douglass has lost her voice, so she will no longer be playing Christine, and Roger Davies simply decided that he was too good for the Hogwarts music program, so he told us only a few hours ago that he does not want to play the phantom. The show will go on however."

Snape noticed the intensly bitter tone in Amber's voice, and immediately felt sorry for Katie, wondering how she would pull off this musical now.

"Thanks to the sacrifice made by a student who wishes to remain anonymous, we now have a new, and I might add much, much better phantom. So, without further ado, and hopefully without any more last minute cancellations with no reasonable excuses, we would like to present, _The Phantom of the Opera_."

Snape shifted slightly into a more comfortable position as the orchestra began to play. He watched the introduction, which surprisingly was not extrmemly ammature. He watched as Parvati Patill walked confidently onto the stage, portraying Carlotta, a fitting role in his opinion. Soon after, it was Christine's turn to step forward and fill Carlotta's place. Snape watched the short girl walk up in disbelief. It was Katie.

Snape concentrated on her, wanting to observe her acting skills and especially her singing voice. She spoke well enough, putting the proper inflections in and saying each word with the required emotion. When it came time for her to sing, Snape listened with rapped attention. Her voice was unusual, lingering somewhere between that of a teenaged girl and that of a mature woman, yet it was far from unpleasant. Her range was well-developed, as evidenced by her first solo; her dynamics were extremely fitting, adding emotion in the corret places; her clear diction allowed the audience to understand the lyrics; her pitch also seemed to be perfect, no doubt due to her enhanced hearing. She did not possess the conventional voice that was commonly heard in modern pop music, yet it was certainly not a voice that was suited for opera. It was entirely unique, and Severus loved that, though he decided to keep this opinion to himself.

Snape watched as the musical continued. He noticed that the actor who portrayed the phantom also had a fair amount of talent. He knew every student that lived in the castle, yet Snape could not place the phantom as any of them.

As the musical proceeded, Snape could not help but notice the passion Katie was able to embody when the scene required it. At first he wondered if it had anything to do with the person who was playing the phantom, but he discounted this theory when he also saw passion, although of a different kind, between Katie and Raoul. Snape was very curious as to where the inspiration from this passion had come from. Through the unsuccessful Occlumency lessons, he was able to observe countless memories of hers, yet he did not recall ever seeing anything considering a recent romantic relationship. He vaguely remembered that she had one when she was eighteen, but he also remembered that she ended it herself about a week before her nineteenth birthday. He could no fathom where this passion had come from, but he knew that he would never be able to ask.

Severus could feel her pain in the aria that Christine sings to her father's spirit. He too had felt pain similar to this, though he had not allowed himself to do so for a long while. He found slight comfort in being able to recognize where the pain and emotion in her voice stemmed from; she herself had lost a parent, so it would be only too easy for her to sing this particular song as if she truly meant the words that flowed from her lips.

In the final scene, Snape watched as the two men fought over the woman they each desired. When it came time for Katie to kiss the phantom, Severus found himself pleased to see that Katie's hair fell over her face, permitting her to only perform a stage kiss rather than the actual thing. He mused momentarily at this feeling, but allowed it to pass unanalyzed so that he could continue to watch the musical uninterrupted.

The Great Hall exploded with applause as the musical ended. Each actor came out onto the stage to take a bow as was customary. The phantom decided to remove his mask only to reveal Neville Longbottom's round, beaming face. Snape felt his jaw drop a fraction of an inch at this sight. He saw the crowd move as a whole toward the stage in order to congratulate the cast members. Snape decided to walk to his office in order to avoid the chaos that he knew would soon come.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm just going out for a little bit. I want to take a walk around the castle," Katie called over her shoulder as she headed out the door. Though the hour was late, she felt more awake than she had in weeks. A kind of giddy elation was coursing through her as she relived the performance. She loved performing, partly for the musical aspects, but also for the feeling she always got afterwards; she always felt more alive, mor complete after singing in front of an audience.

She walked down to the dungeons, wanting to feel the cooler temperature. As she descended the stairs, she heard quiet music coming from one of the rooms. She crept nearer, knowing that only Snape could be inside due to the late hour. She found the room that was occupied, and put her ear to the door in hopes of discovering the reason behind his seemingly unusual hobby. She recognized the song easily, as she had heard it mere hours ago. It was Neville's solo, "The Music of the Night." She listened intently, wondering why Snape was listening to a recording of this, yet the voice was different from those she had heard on numerous recordings of the song. She listened more intently, trying to judge the voice on its qualities. The pitch was perfect, the tone that of a mature man, the diction was clear and precise, and the emotions were proper for the song. She also noticed that the voice was a deep bass. She suddenly realized that the only thing on the recording was the instrumental accompaniment and that there was no recorded voice. She felt the natural performance high increase dramatically as she understood. So, the fact that there was no recorded voice meant that the singer had to be…

"What are you doing out here?"

Katie jumped as the door flew open and the harsh voice cut abruptly into her thoughts. She turned around to see that her face was only inches away from Snape's.

"Um, I was just, walking," she lied poorly.

"And does walking involve you standing outside of my office door eavesdropping upon my private business?" he asked icily.

"Um, no," Katie muttered, not knowing what kind of reaction her curiosity had just evoked. "I swear though," she began, her voice a bit stronger due to conviction, "I won't tell anyone what I heard. I'll be the only one who knows that that was you."

"And how could you possibly know that?" he countered smoothly.

"Because," she started, "I know your voice, very well."

Snape could not comprehend how this girl's calm honesty could soften his temper. No one had been able to do that, at least not since…

"Are you ok?" she asked hesitantly, not knowing how to interpret his prolonged silence.

"Yes," he responded calmly, "And I appreciate your promise," he added as a way of ending the discussion of his singing. "I wish to inquire further about the piece of parchment that I attempted to confiscate from Potter."

"I'm sorry, but I'm still not going to tell you. If I did, it could cause a lot of, um, damage in the future. Things have got to happen the way they are supposed to. Is there really any point in asking me anymore? If I refuse ot tell you, why bother asking?"

"Fine," Snape snapped, finding that a bit of his temper was returning.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, "I didn't want to make you mad. I've got to stick up for what I think is right though."

"Yes, you definitely do that," Snape said begrudgingly. Katie smiled at this, knowing just how true that was. "Well, the hour is late, so I suggest you return to your apartment before you are seen by Mr. Filch. I will walk you back to it."

When they were one floor away from the apartment, the caretaker stepped out of a hidden passageway.

"And what do we have here?" he asked in his oily voice, "Why are you out of bed?"

"She is with me, Filch," Severus spat angrily.

"It's after hours though," Filch whined, "What is she to you anyway? Just let me punish her please."

"Do you have any idea of how much like a sadistic rapist you sound right now?" Katie stood stunned for a moment, shocked by the thought that had just burst forth from her mouth. She knew that she had gone much, much too far.

"Insolence!" Filch shouted, "I will be speaking to Dumbledore about this!"

"Unfortunately, the odds are not in your favor, so that is an empty threat," Severus smirked. "Now, we shall continue on our way, and you will pretend as if this little encounter never occurred. Do you understand?"

"But Profess-"

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, then," Filch spat. He turned on his heels and strode angrily in the opposite direction than that which Katie and Snape were taking.

"It is not wise to speak to the elders in that manner," Severus advised. "If you had been with other professors, they would have taken house points."

"So why didn't you?" Katie asked.

"Because," said Severus as Katie unlocked the door, "I think you were right about his comments."


	35. Chapter 35: Watching the Rat's Flight

Chapter 35

Watching the Rat's Flight

"I can't explain it," she repeated, slightly impatient in answering this question for, was it the fourth time now? "I just know I have to be there."

"It is way too dangerous though," Amber cautioned, "Plus, in the book, everyone turns out to be fine. Why do you think you need to be there?"

"I told you, I don't know," Katie snapped, thoroughly irritated by this point, "Will you both just trust me. I know that I am doing the right thing. You're right; nothing bad happened in the books, except for Pettigrew getting away. I know I'm not supposed to stop him though. I don't know what I am supposed to do, but I know I have to be there. You both know that not everything happens just like it happened in the books. Doesn't that mean something, especially combined with what I'm feeling right now?"

"Not really," Brittany answered stubbornly, "Katie, you are blind, and you will be out there with a werewolf who hasn't taken his potion. Do you really think that is safe?"

"Safe isn't the point!" Katie replied passionately, "The point is that someone is in danger and that I need to save him."

"What do you mean 'him'? Hermione will be there too," Brittany pointed out.

"I don't know," Katie considered, "I really didn't mean to say that. It just kind of… came out. But now I know it's true. Although I don't know which one…"

"They're all wizards. They can take care of themselves," Amber argued.

"Look, I'm going no matter what, so there is no point in arguing with me," Katie said firmly. "Now, I will see you both later, and I'll tell you what happened." She stood abruptly from her chair in the living room, crossed the room in three strides, and flung herself through the door, knowing she needed to move quickly if she wanted to arrive at the willow before the trio.

As she sprinted across the grounds towards the tree, she realized that she would need to become invisible so that her presence would not affect what was supposed to happen. She thought for a moment. An invisibility cloak would work, but she had no way of getting one; she could hide behind another tree, but that would not necessarily mean that others would not notice her.

"_Shit! What's left?_" Then she remembered the Disillusionment Chram. She put the tip of her wand on the top of her head, raised it up a few inches, then brought it down hard. She knew that it worked the minute she felt a sort of cold trickling running down from the spot. "_It really does feel like a raw egg_."

A couple of minutes later, she heard them coming. Ron's yells got louder as they drew nearer. Suddenly, the giant black dog emerged from the hole in the willow's roots. He baired his fangs and let out a low growl. She watched as he ran at Ron, knocking him to the ground. It seemed to take mere seconds for Ron to be dragged into the gap. Then Katie had to change position as the willow began to move. Crookshanks arrived to press the knot, and Harry and Hermione disappeared. Katie immediately thought of the other Harry and Hermione watching the same scene as she was. It all seemed incredibly strange to her. She let the thought fade from her mind as it literally made her head hurt to try and understand how the mysterious time turner worked.

She heard the thudding of footsteps in the distance, and turned to see Lupin running at the tree. Katie realized that she would have to wait for a few hours while they were in the shack. She wondered what she would do for the time since she had not brought a book or her iPod. She decided to take a walk around the lake, but then she remembered why she had come here in the first place. She would have ot wait to make sure that nothing dangerous happened in the shack. Snape came into her line of vision then. She watched as he picked up the cloak and threw it over himself. A few moments after he disappeared into the tree, she walked towards it and pressed the knot. She carefully eased her way into the gap and made her way through the low tunnel. She stopped when she reached the entrance to the shack, deciding that if anything happened, she would hear it as she could already hear the mumblings of conversation upstairs. She lied there, bored and uncomfortable, thinking that perhaps this was not the best idea, and yet knowing that she was doing the right thing. After about half an hour, she began to doze. Her mind was in a state of semiconsciousness as she came closer and closer ot sleep. Her body performed the jerk that sometimes occurs when one is in this state. This woke her effectively. She sat up slowly so that her head would not hit the ceiling. The voices seemed to draw nearer, so she scrambled backwards out of the tree. The night was nearly pitch black, so she removed the Disillusionment Charm. The group emerged from the hidden passageway just as the book had described. Now Katie was alert; she knew that Lupin would soon turn, and that this meant she needed to be on guard. Lupin would only need to smell her to find her after all.


	36. Chapter 36: Wandless Magic

Chapter 36

Wandless Magic

The clouds shifted across the night sky, revealing the round, yellow moon. Katie watched, half in fascination, half in apprehension, as Lupin's human form transformed. She saw Pettigrew snatch up Lupin's wand and cast a spell on Ron. Crookshanks soon followed. Pettigrew transformed before Harry could stop him; meanwhile, Sirius and Lupin were tearing at each other with their claws. Katie knew that this would be the time when Harry told Sirius of Pettigrew's transformation. As he did, Katie realized that she was supposed to stay where she was instead of going with Sirius. She watched as Harry and Hermione left the spot. She stood there alone except for the lifeless body of Snape. She could hear Lupin's mad howls and the yelping of Sirius from a distance. Harry would be going to him now, and his other form would be casting the patronus. After a few seconds, she heard Harry's cry. She knew now that Snape would be waking soon.

Silence filled the forest; not even Lupin's howls were heard. Snape sat up suddenly, making Katie jump. Fortunately, he did not notice her due to his disorientation. He stood and began to walk towards the lake. Katie followed as quietly as possible. The odd thing was, she could not hear her own feet making even the tiniest bit of noise as they hit the ground. When they got to the lake, Snape bent down over the three bodies examining each in turn. He spent the most time on Sirius, glaring down at his enemy's still form. Katie heard a faint rustling from a clump of trees that surrounded the lake. She turned her head to see Lupin creeping into the clearing very slowly. He sniffed the air, swivled his head in each direction, and walked almost silently towards Snape. As he moved, his speed increased sharply, yet his footfalls grew no louder. He opened his mouth, ready to sink his teeth into the human crouching only feet in front of him.

"LOOK OUT!" She was too late; she knew it, but she had been unable to find her voice until this point. Snape turned ot look at her and saw Lupin. He scrambled to his feet just as Lupin's jaws snapped. Katie heard the sound of teeth hitting teeth and knew that he had just missed Snape. Without even considering it, she ran into the clearing heading straight for Lupin. The werewolf opened his mouth in a snarl as he turned towards her.

"Stupify!" Katie pointed her wand directly into Lupin's opened mouth. She knew it had worked when she saw the jet of light blast from her wand's tip. Lupin fell backward onto the ground, yet something was wrong, very wrong. His form was convulsing violently as if he were in terrible agony.

"What happened?" Katie asked Snape in a panicked voice.

"You shot the spell into his mouth," he answered disbelievingly, "You've stunned his organs rather than his exterior." Horro flooded through Katie as she realized what this meant. He would die.

"NO!"

She lept on top of the writhing wolf. Throwing her wand aside, she placed her hands on the wolf's chest. She began to speak in a strange nad ancient tongue, one that she had never heard before. As she spoke, her voice rising and falling passionately as though she were performing a dramatic piece, she ran her hands over his fur in circular patterns, as though she were giving a massage. Her hands reached every part of Lupin's body as she continued speaking. Slowly, Lupin's movements haulted. He eventually was still. Before he could attack again, Katie placed her fingertips to his temples to put him into a temporary sleep. She then stood, feeling exhausted. She looked at Snape only to see that he was staring at her. She did not know how to describe his expression, but she believed that, on a person who showed more emotion, the eyes would be wide and the mouth would be opened.

"What?" she asked, somewhat defensively. She had saved his life and Lupin's after all.

"You are a Sorceress," he said simply.

"Well yeah, I know that," Katie said impatiently, "This is a school of socery afterall."

"No it is not. It is a school of witchcraft and wizardry."

"They're the same thing though! In the books, the terms are used interchangeably."

"The books are incorrect then," Snape said, "First, there are no Sorcerors, only Sorceresses, but there are both witches and wizards."

"Then why is it called the Sorceror's Stone?" Katie asked confusedly.

'Because men have long dreamed to possess the power of a Sorceress. When the stone was forged, many saw this as a step in that direction for men. Thus, they called it the Sorceror's Stone, even though the name is technically incorrect."

"What is a Sorceress then?" Katie asked.

"You must speak with the headmaster about this. I have to get these two to the hospital wing and this one sent off to Azkaban. I will escort you to the Headmaster's office when this is taken care of. For now, I would like you to wait in your apartment for me. I shall be back later tonight to take you to the office. Go now, while no one from the Ministry is here. Go."

Katie picked up her wand from the ground. She walked briskly to the castle, her mind abuzz with questions.


	37. Chapter 37: Explanations

Chapter 37

Explanations

Katie paced around the living room, impatient for Snape to come. The conversation they had had by the lake was far from satisfactory. She was more confused now than she could ever remember being during her time at Hogwarts. Amber and Brittany had tried to ask her questions, but she told them that she would not say anything until the next morning. Fortunately, they accepted this as they realized how serious she was; they saw that she was safe, so they dropped the issue.

A knock came upon the door. Katie rushed towards it, hoping to finally get some answers. She opened the door to see both Snape and Dumbledore standing there.

"Good evening, Ms. Insche," Dumbledore said pleasantly. Katie glanced quickly at Snape only to see a furious expression on his face. She remembered that Sirius had just escaped, and the expression suddenly made sense. "May we please come in to speak with you?"

"Yes," Katie answered in relief. The two entered the apartment. Dumbledore sat in an armchair while Snape chose the couch.

"Professor Snape has already told me the entire story of what has happened tonight. However, both of us must discuss it with you. What you have done tonight is incredible; therefore, you must be able to understand it as fully as possible. Professor Snape said that your idea of what a Sorceress is was no different from your understanding of what a witch is. You now know that this is incorrect, yet I believe I am right in assuming you know no more than this?"

'That's right," Katie confirmed.

"A Sorceress is like a witch in her ability to perform magic, but there are many important differences," Dumbledore began, "First, the number of spells a Sorceress can perform far outweighs those that a witch or wizard can. This is due to two factors: the fact that all spells a Sorceress performs are based on ancient magic, and the fact that the majority of a Sorceress's skill lies in having an inborn knowledge of this ancient magic, which enables her to invent many spells. Second, the ancient magic I spoke of is not so much a skill as it is an entire language; this is why I said that a Sorceress can invent spells. The odd thing about this language is that it has hardly ever been written; therefore, hardly anyone knows its precise words. This means that the only way a person can know this language is if she is born a Sorceress; there is a specific type of gene that determins this—a mutation of the gene that makes witches and wizards that is passed down through the father. Third, many of the spells a Sorceress invents can only be performed by a Sorceress due to their complexity and the great amount of power it takes for the spell to be performed effectively. Fourth, the more power used by a spell, the weaker the Sorceress will be after she has performed it. No spell will kill a Sorceress; if she does not have the strength to perform it, nothing whatsoever will happen when she speaks the words. Fifth, a Sorceress has no need of a wand. Can you bring your wand to me?"

"Yes," said Katie, her mouth very dry at this point. She jogged to her room to retrieve the wand. She came back into the living room and handed it to Dumbledore.

"Accio sowrd," Dumbledore said calmly. A few seconds later, a thin rapier squeezed itself through the crack surrounding the front door. Dumbledore caught the blade, held it over the wand, and brought it down sharply, slicing the wand in two.

"What?" Katie exclaimed, reaching for the pieces.

"It is fine," Dumbledore assured, "Take a look at your wand. Did you ever discover what its core was?"

"No," Katie answered as she accepted her pieces. She put her right eye close to the hole created by Dumbledore. She could see nothing sticking out from it. "It looks like it's… hollow."

"It is hollow," Dumbledore said, "This is what is so significant. A wand with no core is completely useless to a wizard or witch. They can cast simple spells without a wand in dier need, but without a wand core, witches and wizards have next to no power. This is what sets them apart from Sorceresses. So far, the things I have mentioned to you are positive; however, there is one very important thing you must know. Although a Sorceress has extreme power, she will also be limited in three areas. I believe I know what yours are. You are visually impared. This is a self-explanitory limitation. You also have not been able, no matter what you do, to perform Occlumency. This seems to be another limitation as you have been practicing but have been unable to master even the smallest amount of this skill in nearly four years. Your third limitation is a bit more complicated. Each Sorceress has one fault that is a normal human fault, but for them it is taken to the ultimate extreme. The particular fault for you cannot be known until you take it too far."

"Do you have any idea what my fault is?" Katie asked.

"No," Dumbledore answered, yet Katie noted how quickly he responded compared to his usual manner. "We will have to wait and see what it is. Now, your being a Sorceress explains several things: why there is a portrait of you in the entrance hall, how you were able to save Professor Lupin tonight, how you were able to put him into a temporary sleep so he would not harm anyone on the grounds tonight, and why you were able to stop Professor Snape from entering too far into your mind during your Occlumency lessons. Oh, and it also explains why his wand flew in circles over his head; somehow, your subconscious mind chose that particular shape. I think I have covered everything. Do you have any questions?"

"I can't tell anyone about this, can I?"

"Absolutely not," Dumbledore said firmly, "This is of curcial importance. The consiquences of telling anyone other than the two of us, including your two friends, could be dangerous for the entire Wizarding World. If certain people knew that a Sorceress resides at Hogwarts, the whole castle could be under attack. People would want to manipulate you, convince you that they are your best friends, just so they could use your powers for their own good. This is why you cannot tell anyone. Make up whatever story you can for your friends."

"This is why I have these strong feelings, isn't it? The ones that I feel whenever someone is in danger, like I felt tonight?" Katie asked excitedly.

"Yes," Dumbledore affirmed, "In a manner of speaking, a Sorceress is a kind of seer. A Sorceress's power of seeing is based more on strong intuition rather than a specific skill though. Whenever you feel these feelings, you must act on them no matter what anyone tells you. If you don't, many people could be in grave danger. Were there any more questions?"

"Yes. A few months ago, Professor Snape and I went into the forest for our Occlumency lesson. A dementor came, so I cast a Patronus. It was a tiger, and I felt this incredibly strong connection to it, like if I only touched it I would figure out some key to myself that I am missing. I didn't get ot touch it, because Professor Snape broke my concentration, but do you know what the connection to the Patronus means?"

"I, um, have an idea," Dumbledore admitted reluctantly, "I cannot discuss it with you until later however. All of the loose ends will make sense in time, but you must be patient for the moment. Was there anything else?"

Katie did not even bother questioning Dumbledore further as she knew how stubborn he was in these matters. "No."

Dumbledore rose to his feet. 'Thank you for letting us come and explain this to you," Dumbledore said kindly, "Now, I suggest you go to bed immediately as I believe it will take you a few hours to fall asleep tonight. Thank you again. Oh, and would you please give the third book to Professor Snape when you see him tomorrow evening? That reminds me as well, there will be no need for you to continue with your Occlumency lessons. Can I pick up the third book now so you will not have to bother with going to the dungeons tomorrow?"

"Sure," said Katie, trying to keep the note of disappointment out of her voice. She wlaked ot her room, grabbed up the book, and brought it out to Dumbledore.

"Thank you," he said as he turned to the door. Katie watched as Snape walked through the door Dumbledore held open for him.

As they left, Katie wondered what the point was behind Professor Snape's presence. She knew that Duumbledore had his reasons, but the curiosity burned in her all the same. This question, along with tons of other thoughts, connections, explanations, possibilities, and queries flooded her mind in an overwhelming rush. She place her head upon her pillow, trying to sort out each intricate detail.


	38. Chapter 38: Summer Days and Summer Night

Chapter 38

Summer Days and Summer Nights

A/N: Before I start this chapter, I believe that I owe all of my readers a huge apology. I am so sorry for the long wait since my last chapter. Over the last couple of months, my life has been crazy involving: drama with nearly all of my friends, changing all of my college plans around (which included applying for a new university), getting my first apartment, going through the entire process of moving, finding a stable roommate/friend that I totally trust, setting up a new financial plan due to the bad economy in the U.S., huge amounts of schoolwork almost every night due to an intense summer class at the new university, tons of illness in my family, starting my first full-time semester at the new university (which is much more difficult than the community college I just graduated from), and taking a ten day trip to my hometown to visit my grandfather who is dying of lung cancer. This story was put on the back burner until I dealt with all of this. Now that I have, I should be able to start writing frequently again. I do want all of you to know that I have no intentions of abandoning this story. If, for some reason, I am unable to finish, I will at least write a final chapter telling all of you what would have happened. If I leave you hanging completely, either I have died or I am seriously ill because I hate when authors drop their stories completely. I will not do that.

A knock came at the apartment door, jerking Amber out of a deep sleep. She knew that the knock would not have woke the others as Brittany could most likely sleep through a tonado and Katie's room was on the opposite side of the apartment. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand: 6:27am. She felt that the situation had to be important as the knocking continued and she realized it was a Sunday morning. Her mind vaguely wandered toward the possibility of a prank, but she quickly remembered that the summer holidays were taking place. She leapt out of bed and performed magic to get herself dressed. She opened the door to reveal Dumbledore standing beside two strangers—a man and a woman.

"Hello, Amber," he smiled cheerily, "Is Katie awak yet?"

"No, she's still asleep," Amber answered.

"I doubted she would be," Dumbledore thought out loud, "Would you mind waking her for me? We have a few things to discuss."

"Sure," Amber said, "You all can come in if you want to."

"Thank you," Dumbledore said graciously.

Amber walked to Katie's room and opened the door quietly. She crpet almost silently to Katie's bed, laid her hand gently on Katie's shoulder, and whispered, "Katie, Dumbledore and some people are here to see you."

Katie jumped violently. "What? You scared me! Don't do that."

"What?"

"When you want to wake me up do it by knocking loudly on the door instead of being all quiet. I opened my eyes and saw you standing right by my head; it scared me."

"Ok, I'm sorry, come on."

"Come on? What do you mean?"

"Dumbledore and some people are here to see you," Amber repeated in exasperation, "I already told you."

"Yeah, well I was half asleep, so what do you expect?"

"Ok, just come on, get dressed."

"Who are the people with Dumbledore?" Katie asked as she ran her hands up and down in front of her body, making her nightgown change into jeans and a t-shirt.

"I don't know. I've never seen them before."

"Hmm," Katie mused, running her hands over her messy hair to make it smooth and shiny. They walked into the living room after Katie had cleaned her teeth.

"Good morning, Katie," Dumbledore said happily.

"Good morning," Katie replied sleepily, hating this expression as she never considered the first fifteen minutes after waking to be good.

"I have two people here who have told me that they know you," Dumbledore began to explain, "They say that they were two of your professors at your community college. Would you like to say hello to her?" Dumbledore asked the couple.

"Hi, Katie. It's nice ot see you again," the woman said.

"Mrs. Wicket?" Katie enquired.

"Yes, and Dr. Wicket is here too," she said smiling.

"Good," Dumbledore beamed, "You have clarified that they are indeed who they claim to be—John and Kayla Wicket. I have already tested them for traces of Polyjuice Potion, so I belive that these two are who they say they are."

"Um, ok," Katie replied, wondering why Dumbledore was being so blunt about magic in front of Muggles.

"They know that this is a school for magic," Dumbledore explained, "I have told them that much at least. Well, now that you've confirmed their identities, you can go back to sleep if you wish. I shall tell them all that has occurred, because I feel that they are in the same situation that you, Amber, and Brittany are—they are stuck here for awhile. Anyway, just go back to sleep and I shall speak with you later today."

"Why are they here though? And what exactly-"

"I will talk with you about it all later. For now, you need to sleep. I know for a fact that you weren't in bed until around three o'clock in the morning. You need more sleep before you can adequately process all of this. Now, off to bed with you."

"Ok," Katie relented, wondering how Dumbledore knew when she had gone to bed in the first place.

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Katie awoke at 11:48am, feeling much better than she had when Amber had come to her room earlier that morning. She stayed in bed for a few minutes, thinking about what would happen now that the Wickets were at Hogwarts. She prayed that they would not be involved in anything having to do with Voldemort, as she was sure that they didn't develop magical powers. She stretched and yawned lazily, basking in the wonderful feeling of having no schedule. Just as she was considering falling back to sleep, she remembered that Dumbledore wanted to speak with her. "Damn it," she muttered as she rolled out of bed. She quicly made herself presentable with magic, said goodbye to Brittany and Amber, and made her way to Dumbledore's office.

"Enter," came the usual greeting to Katie's ears. She opened the office door to show Dumbledore sitting with his feet upon his desk.

"Ms. Insche," he said cheerily, "I was expecting you." He slowly took his feet down. "I want you to know that I have told the Wickets everything that has been going on with you, and they both have taken Unbreakable Vows to keep the matters secret."

"So they know that I'm a Sorceress?"

"Yes."

"Why did you tell them that, sir?" Katie asked respectfully.

"I just have a feeling that they will need to know it at one point," Dumbledore answered, "You and I both know the powers that strong intuition holds."

"Absolutely," Katie confirmed, and left the matter at that.

"The Wickets will be moving into your apartment. They will not act as parental figures, but I do not know where they would be better suited. I have explained to them that they technically do not have authority over the three of you, and that they should therefore treat you like adults. You, however, will not be seeing them much during the day."

"Why?" Katie asked.

"During the afternoon, I have made arrangements for Professor Snape to come to the castle. He will be teaching you different lying techniques."

"Lying techniques?"

"Yes, since you are unable to perform Occlumency, you must become an extremely skilled liar. He will also be teaching you how to use your logic and intuition to get inside others' heads. This will aid you in later times, but I cannot fully explain it now."

"Lying is one thing, but I don't want to learn how to get into others' heads and manipulate them. It's not the kind of person I want to be."

"You are a bit afraid of this aren't you?" Dumbledore asked sympathetically, "You fear that you might become too good at it?"

"Yes," Katie admitted, "I don't want it to become a habit. For me, habits are formed when I first learn how to do something, realize I like it, and repeat the action again and again."

"But you have just told me that you don't like it."

"I said that I don't like the idea of it. I've never tried it, so I don't know if I will like doing it or not. That's why I don't want to try it. It's not morally right."

"As long as you keep that attitude going, you will never have to fear it becoming a habit. You are a good person, and this will stop you from using this power to your advantage."

"But should the power be used at all?" Katie asked, "If I have logic and intuition like you say I do, why do I need to use them in this way?"

"As I've told you, I cannot explain this to you yet."

"Well, either you need to explain it to me, or I will refuse to learn it," Katie replied decisibely, a cold note in her voice, arms folded firmly across her chest.

"I cannot explain it to you," Dumbledore said impatiently, "I will not make you learn it, but if you refuse to, I believe it will make your future that much harder."

"That's ok with me," Katie said, "I'd rather be a good person with a hard future than a person who turns towards evil just to make my life easier."

"If it is for the greater good, would you still call it evil?"

"Yes, because it might start out as working for the greater good, but I may not want to stop when the greater good is accomplished."

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed, "I see that you will not be persuaded in this. You may return to your apartment."

"He _is becoming so obsessed with making the Wizarding World good that he isn't seeing his own flaws and faults,"_ Katie thought as she left the office, _"I wonder if he even realized that he used Grindelwald's phraise 'for the greater good'. Hopefully he will understand all of this someday. Maybe when he's dead he'll see how much of a negative impact his need for power has had on his life and why I refused to be susceptible to that need."_


End file.
